Shakuntala Devi : The Human Calculator

Shakuntala Devi was an Indian writer and mathematical wizard. She was popularly known as the “human computer” for making complicated calculations in her mind and effortlessly speaking out the results.

India, a land famous for its contribution in the field of mathematics has always been proud of its mathematical prodigies and one such prodigy in recent times of modern India was Shakuntala Devi who was world-renowned & referred to as “Human-Computer.”

Her exceptional abilities earned her a place in “The Guinness Book of World Records.”

1. Why is she Called as Human-Computer?

She traveled all over the globe and tried to spread her teachings. One of her significant mathematical journeys was Europe tour at the age of 20, Shakuntala appeared on the BBC show where the host, Leslie Mitchell, asked her to solve a complicated math problem.

She solved the problem within seconds, but the host claimed the answer to be incorrect as it was different from what the host and his entire team had calculated.

However, later, it was realized that Devi’s answer was correct, and the response calculated by the host and his team was incorrect. This news got spread across the world, and she was given the title of the “Human-Computer.”

Similarly, at the University of Rome, one of her answers to a problem was found to be wrong, until the experts re-examined their calculations. read more