There is a range and richness to numbers. They can come alive, cease to be symbols written on a black board, and lead the reader into a world of intellectual adventure where calculations are thrilling. In Figuring: The Joy of Numbers, Shakuntala Devi dramatizes the endless fascination of numbers and their ability to amaze and entertain. She offers easy-to-learn short cuts on how to add long columns in your head, multiply, divide, and find square roots quickly, almost magically. Fractions, decimals, and compound interest become clear and easy to deal with.

The author takes delight in working out huge problems mentally, and sometimes even faster than computers. In Figuring she shares her secrets with you.

About the Author

Shakuntala Devi popularly known as "the human computer" is a world famous mathematical prodigy who continues to make international headlines by her lightning fast talent and out-computing the most sophisticated computers available.

Born in a well-known family of Brahmin priests in Bangalore, Shakuntala Devi received her early lessons in mathematics from her grandfather. By the age of five, she was recognized as a child prodigy and an expert in complex mental arithmetic. A year later she demonstrated her talent to a large assembly of students and professors at the University of Mysore.

Hailed as an authentic heroine of our times her feats are recorded in the Guiness Book of World Records. She took only fifty seconds to calculate the twenty-third root of a 201 digit number. To verify her answer, a computer in Washington programmed with over 13,000 instructions took ten seconds longer. On June 18, 1980 she demonstrated the multiplication of two 13-digit numbers 7,686,369,774,870 x 2,465,099,745,779 picked at random by the Computer Department of Imperial College, London. She answered the question in 28 seconds. Her correct answer was 18,947,668,177,995,426,462,773,730.

Book Review

“Although the whole book is excellent, the multiplication chapter is the crowning achievement. Shakuntala Devi teaches you how to cross multiply any two numbers in a very simple, straightforward way that is easy to learn and easy to do. And if you already know how to do Finger math, you will have a very powerful tool to do large multiplication problems without paper or pencil. She also does a ton of good stuff with all the other basic arithmetical operations. A great book that should be part of anyone's math library.”

John Madison

Student