HP Forum Archive 18

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Man calculates the 13th root of a random 200 digit number in his head in 70 secs! Message #1 Posted by BruceH on 11 Dec 2007, 7:10 p.m. link My head hurts even thinking about it. :-)

How come? (not the subject itself...) Message #2 Posted by Vieira, Luiz C. (Brazil) on 11 Dec 2007, 7:24 p.m., in response to message #1 by BruceH You and Les posted about the same subject in almost no time delay... The system counted one minute between yours and his, but we could take the typing, net speed and so... Could our 'mathlet' compute the possiblities of this event to happen? 8^D Cheers! Luiz (Brazil)

Perhaps Bruce solved the root, then posted within 70 seconds!! :-) Message #3 Posted by allen on 11 Dec 2007, 10:50 p.m., in response to message #2 by Vieira, Luiz C. (Brazil) Ahhh.. Since Les and Bruce's posts were around 70 seconds apart.. Perhaps Bruce is being modest, and solved the Root just before posting his version :-)

Re: Perhaps Bruce solved the root, then posted within 70 seconds!! :-) Message #4 Posted by Patrick Rendulic on 12 Dec 2007, 1:44 a.m., in response to message #3 by allen Quote from the article: Quote: He refuses to reveal just how he does his mental gymnastics, but hinted: "I will not say exactly what is my method. I am doing something like artificial intelligence in reverse, because I am imitating a computer." That's scientific spirit! Keept it for yourself!

Re: Perhaps Bruce solved the root, then posted within 70 seconds!! :-) Message #5 Posted by Les Bell on 12 Dec 2007, 5:03 a.m., in response to message #3 by allen Quote: Ahhh.. Since Les and Bruce's posts were around 70 seconds apart.. Perhaps Bruce is being modest, and solved the Root just before posting his version :-) Ahhh . . . well . . . I, of course, don't do these kinds of calculations in my head. I use any of several HP calculators, thereby saving . . . oh . . . around a minute, or so. ;) Best, --- Les [http://www.lesbell.com.au]

Re: Perhaps Bruce solved the root, then posted within 70 seconds!! :-) Message #6 Posted by bt_schmidt on 15 Dec 2007, 10:46 a.m., in response to message #5 by Les Bell Quote: Ahhh . . . well . . . I, of course, don't do these kinds of calculations in my head. I use any of several HP calculators, thereby saving . . . oh . . . around a minute, or so. ;) Best, --- Les Ahhh...well... that pretty much encapsulates exactly what's wrong with today's youth. When I was a lad growing up in Yorkshire we had to do 13th roots of random 200 digit numbers in our heads before breakfast, which of course we never had because we worked all day and didn't get back to our home until after breakfast, by which time we were 2 hours late for work. And by our home, I mean a tiny old house, with greaaaaat big holes in the roof. And while I say "house", it was really only a hole in the ground covered by a sheet of tarpolin, ..but it was a house to us! And you know you try and tell that to the young people today... and they won't believe ya'! ...bt PS. Apologies to MP.

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