Shakuntala Devi, the Human Computer , explains and simplifies everything you always wanted to know about numbers but was difficult to understand.
We can't live without numbers. We need them in our daily chores, big and small. But we carry in us a certain fear of numbers and are never confident about using them. Shakuntala Devi, the internationally famous mathematical wizard, makes it both easy and interesting for us.
This book contains all we ever wanted to know about numbers. Divided in three parts, the first will tells you everything about numbers, the second some anecdotes related with numbers and mathematicians, and the third some important tables that will help you always.
WHAT THE PRESS SAYS
"...makes very interesting reading and provides valuable information."
— The Hindu
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.,
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