Reuters Shakuntala Devi in New Delhi on June 20, 2007.Mathematical genius Shakuntala Devi, 83, passed away on Sunday in Bangalore. Often called “the human computerâ€, Ms. Devi had been complaining of respiratory problems.
In a 1976 profile in The New York Times, Bayard Webster writes of her visit to the United States:
“She forgot, momentarily, that she had visited the United States once before, 20 years ago, but she could give you the cube root of 188,132, 517 - or almost any other number - in the time it took to ask the question.
If you gave her any date in the last century, she would tell you what day of the week it fell on. In seconds, she added five rows of eight-digit numbers and then multiplied the result by any five-digit number of your choice. All in her head.â€
Describing her genius Mr. Webster writes:
“According to mathematical scientists, Mrs. Devi’s gift as a numerical math prodigy is not unique and has no relation to the science of mathematics. Nevertheless, according to these mathematicians, people with her abilities do not grow on trees, or even abacuses. It is not known how people gifted with these abilities perform their feats.â€
Read the profile.
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