"HUMAN COMPUTER" SAKUNTALA DEVI
(NOVEMBER 4th 1939 - APRIL 21 st 2013)
Ms.Shakuntala Devi held a Guinness World Record for her lidhtening - speed calculations.
Among her distinctions was her ability to, given a date in the last century, mentally ascertain the day.
In 1977, she calculated the 23rd root of a 201 digit number in just 50 seconds. In the same year in Dalla's she answered the cube root of 188138517 in less time than the the computer takes.
In June 18, 1980 she multiplied two 13 digit numbers 7,686,369,774,870 & 2,465,099,745,779 given to her randomly by the Computer Department of Imperial College, London within 28 seconds.
She strove to simplify math for students and help them get over their math phobia. It is a pity that her techniques died with her.Her techniques to simplify math were not used by educational institutions.
She authored several books including Fun with Numbers, Astrology for You, Puzzles to Puzzle You, and Awaken the Genius in Your Child.
An indisputable child prodigy, Ms.Devi began to give public demonstrations of her math skills at the age of six years. But it was even earlier, when she was three, that her father - a trapeze artist and lion tamer - first discovered her genius.Her father, whohad rebelled against his orthodox Brahmin family's wish that he join a circus rather than become a temple priest, noticed his daughter's uncanny ability to memorise while teaching her a card trick. Impressed by her gift, he then travelled with Ms.Devi on road shows where she performed her mathematical feats. Ms.Devi, who had no formal education, had once described her ability as a 'gift'.
She died on 21st April 2013 Sunday 8.15 A.M at the age of 80 years due to respiratory problems, heart & kidney complications.