ECTION FOR HONGKON
:
A
SPEC
HENRY LEWIS discovers the amazing George Bidder-the fastest man in the world at sums. For
on
GEORGE GAVE THE ANSWER
IN 40 SECONDS
SECONDS FLAT!
SMALL boy of 10 sat facing a row of dis- tinguished men. One of them looked up from his pad and fired a question: "What is the com- pound interest on £4,444 for 4,444 days at 41⁄2 per cent per year?"
The boy frowned, looked at minutes and 55 seconds?" the ceiling. A minute ticked Again, in less than a minute by. Then just before his he gave the answer—2,165,625,- examiners' watches showed two 744 inches. (Want to check minutes he smiled and said con- it?) fidently: "£2,434 165. 5d"
Another question came rapidly: "How long would it take to fill a tank one mile cube if water is coming in at the rate of 120 gallons a minute?”
Again a pause for thought. Again, before two minutes had passed, the boy relaxed. answered with the same con- fidence: "14,300 years, 285 days, 12 hours, 46 minutes."
The examiners gave up!
No schooling
at this
At 13 he was asked: “What is the number whose cube less by its cube, is 19 multiplied equal to the cube of six?" There was no hesitation at all over this one. He answered without a pause-three..
Yet George Bidder, Не
time, had never been to school. could not read or write. He Was a country boy who His super-speed calculations though were to make him one of Bri- tain's most distinguished men.
He was born at Moreton Hampstead in Devon where his father was a stonemason. He was six years old when an older brother taught him to count first to 10, then to 100.
The boy was George Parker Bidder, the fastest man with figures the world has ever seen. What a riot he would have been at a Christmas party with his lightning calculations.
Varsity prize
At the age of 11-in 1818-he was asked: Divide 468,592,413, self with peas and marbles. He From here on he taught him- 563 by 9076." He was getting worked as a blacksmith's boy. quicker now. Within a minute But all his spare time was spent he answered 51,629,838.
At 12 he was asked: “If a
clock's pendulum swings 934
with the marbles.
It takes a machine
to beat that
This electronic compulor has 18 miles of wiring and can answer such questions-in a second! National Cash Register Co. Ltd.
arrived at. the answer— 40,633,740,000,000 miles.
It was arranged for him to go to school at Camberwell. He went on to Edinburgh Univer-
OX YAZ
351
Bidder often gave demonstra- could make quicker than he tions of his lightning brain to could say the answer. serious students of mathematics. Ho passed some of his He was asked the questica at ability on to his 531, George the top of the page. It took Parker Bidder, generally known him 40 seconds to answer as 'the younger Bidder who
£237 10s. 1d.
became a top lawyer and a Queen's Counsel.
•
Sometimes his answers were challenged but when they had
-
The younger Bidder, who been laboriously checked they could play two games of chess were almost always found to simultaneously while blind- be right.
He became
folded, said: "I have occasion- ally multiplied 15 figures by 15 vice-president, figures in my head but it takes then president of the Institution me a long time and I am liable of Civil Engineering. The black-to occasional errors.” smith's boy from
Moreton
Hampstead had become a very big man.
No mistake
=
An example: He tried in his His speed at calculating, re-head 387,201,953,513,825 X-199,-
mained with him until his death at the age of 72 in 1878.
631,057,265,413.
But how did he achieve his And got the answer 73,567,299,- Speed? He said: "If I am asked 427,512,145,197,597,834,725.
"I think you will find : four
-mediately into my mind. I wrong," he said ruehilly.
sity where he won a prize for the product of, say, 89 by 73,
the answer—8,497-cornes in figures out of £de +29 are
higher mathematics.
He became a clerk in a life multiply 80 by 70, 80 by 3, 9 His father would have idone it quicker and more accurately. assurance company then he by 70 and 9 by 3."
There have béen --many ; men. a quick at figures but George
Someone told him ten hun- went into engineering. At the Bidder's real. secret was dreds made a thousand and he age of 29 he was working with trick of breaking big figures Parker Bidder senior was: cer- inches in one second, how many learned to count in thousands. Robert Stephenson сп the
into units and memorising cal-tainly the fastest man in the inches will it swing in seven He got up to a million. He had London-to-Birmingham railway culations. Many calculations be world.
years, 14 days, two hours, one never heard the word multiply minute and 56 seconds, if each but he found out how to do it. year is 365 days, five hours, 48
The 17-21 Club's five rules
Membership in the 17-21 Club is open
to
all
within that age group.
Challenged
He would
arrange marbles and peas in
squares of eight He built many railways him- each side. By counting up he self later, designed the first found eight eights made 64. railway swing bridge at Reed-
His calculations became
so ham
the Norwich and swift that his father began to Lowestoft railway, founded the make money taking him around first telegraph-company and the country exhibiting him. Yet built London's Victoria Docks. George could still not tell one For from falling off, his printed figure from another. At speed at figures became quicker 10 he was just learning to write and quicker and it was a great but he had no idea how to write help to him as an engineer. down figures.
A roomful of engineers and Fortunately for him his accountants would be shuffling quickness caught the interest of reams of paper carrying hun-
important men. One was Sir dreds of statistics and estimates William
Herschel, famous for a project. Without looking scientist and astronomer.
at the figures Bidder would - Contributions and all ac- Sir Williamn posed him this point cut an error and work tivities of the Club will little teaser: "Light travels from out the correct result in his be limited to members the sun to the earth in
eight head before anyone else had be- minutes and the sun being gun pencilling out the figures. only.
98,000,000 miles off, if light His reputation was so great ✪ Contributions may consist would take six years and four that when estimates were being
of anything that is months travelling at the same considered.
one occasion, articles, rate from the nearest fixed star, counsel for a rival publishable
company letters, stories, photo-earth reckoning 365 days and sent out of the room as "nature graphs, drawings, verses. six hours to each year and 28 has endowed him with qualities But only the best will days to each month?"
that do not place us on a fair be printed.
Done it? George Bidder soon footing."
C
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on
how far is that star from the asked that Bidder should be
THE WHITE-HOT WIRE FILAMENT IN AN ELECTRIC LIGHT BULB WOULD BURN
UP AT ONCE IF IT WERE EXPOSED TO
THEAIR!
IT DOES NOT BE
CAUSE THE BULBIS FILLED WITH ARSON.
ARGON IS AN INERT GAS, WHICH MEANS IT WILL NOT REACT WITH OTHER MATTER. FIRE CAN'T BURN IN IT.
INFLAMMABLE METALS WERE SQUETIMES WELDED INSIDE ARSON-FILLED CHAMBERS.
ZOO'S WHO by
WHATA NOSE
ODD-KOSED MO XKEYS ARE ABOUT TWO AND A HALF FEET LONG-RED- DISH IN COLOR EXCEPT FOR THE "GRAY ON THEIR LIMBS AND LOWER BACKS THEIR TAILS ARE LONG-
„ARE GOOD SWIMMERS AND DIYE. UNDER WATER TO ESCAPE FROM THEIR ENEMIES.
ODD-NOSED MONKEYS OFTEN SIT WITHOUT MOVING LONG PERI• ODS OF TIME THEY MAKE DEED SOUND ING HONKING NOISES WHEN CALLING TO
EACH OTHER...
"THE ODD-NOSED OR PROBOSCIS MONKEY ISA NATIVE OF BOR- NEO, AN ISLAND OF INDONESIA. ATREE DWELLER, USUALLY NEAR
RIVER BANKS. THE ADULT MALE HAS SUCH A DROOPING NOSE THAT HE HAS TO HOLD IT OUT OF THE WAY WHILE EATING
GEORGE
THEY TRAVEL IN SMALL GROUPS
LIVING ON FRUITS AND LEAVES”.
THE NEXT STEP WAS TO FILL THE WORK ROOM WITH ARSON INERT GAS AND PUT
THE WORKMAN INSIDE A "CHAMBER”— ASORT OF SPACE SUIT-WHICH WOULD
· SUPPLY HIM WITH AIR.
SUCH AN INERT FABRICATION MILL IS BEING COMPLETED FOR THE NAVY AT BRIDGEVILLE, FA. IT WILL PERMIT
WORKING SPECIAL MISSILE AND JET METALS AT FANTASTIG HEAT, WITHOUT
HAVING THEM BŪRN UP AS THEY WOULD, ...IN ORDINARY AIR.
WORKMEN WILL HAVE AIR SUPPLY LINES AID EMERGENCY AIRBANKS. IT IS SAID THAT LIGHTS WILL COMITMEJE TO
BROTOW EVEN IF BULES ARE BROKEN,
BAL
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