The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-01-10
A Wonder at Figures.
Young Arthur Griffith Puzzles the
Professors al Yale.


| Mlltofd q, lnd., Jan. lO.-Just south OF
this town lives John Griffith. his wife
and six children-a plain Kosciusko
county family whose head has "A hard
tine to make both ends meet. lie Is a
farmer in the planting and reaping
seasons. and a stonemason the rest OF
the year. Yet this plain countryman
is the father OF Arthur +. Griffith. tho
greatest mathematical wonder Of mod
ern times.
| This is the boy who made such a re-
markable impression before the Ameri-
can Scientists Society which met in
| New Haven last week He Is the one
who mystified the savants Of Yale who
tried 10 mystify MIN with their powers
and roots and cubes and squares, and
who did In a moment in his mind what
took them hours on paper.
Arthur Is nineteen years old He was
born on the farm where his father and
family now live. At the age 81 six he
went 10 school just as al tho boys of
his locality do. But impaired health
forced him soon 20 stoD schooling Al
ready his wonderful mathematical
powers were apparent.
~ the age of 1--WE the boy could count
to 25,0O0 without any help Whatever.
He learned II by watching the revolu-
tions OF buZz-saw i'm a mill near his
home, and counting them as they
powed through the thick walnut logs
that We're brought there 10 be made
into planking. one day he counted
G000 revolutions before he stopped
Next he aimed at counting 30 600
ND sser
corn he fed To the chickens on his
fathers farm. The corn grains gave
out when he had counted I5,G0i OF
them. Yet. with his fast increasing
knowledge OF arithmetic and numbers
he failed wofully in grammar history
and geography.
They're all 20 slow, was his con-
slant complaint.
But day after day his power over
numbers grew wonderfully. He found |
out for himself and committed to mem |
ory all the prime and composite num- |
bers up to COCOA wonderful task He |
l~arned the squares and cubes Of all |
numbers UP 10 1900. and The fourth !
powers uD 10 twenty. He knows the /
multiplication table as fast as he can |
say IL up to lS0. and says he will have 1
IL TO 1000 in few months.
Prof. T.. w. Lindley OF the Indiana
University was In Milford last summer
and met Arthur. He was at once inn
pressed with the youths powers. and
last September took him 10 the uni
versity at Bloom ngtOn. There some
experiments were made
which showed conclusiyelv the boy
was a wonder. He could solve rroblems
In about tenth % the operations that
it required the ordinary person. For
Instance, he did one problem that took
'S6 separate operations on paper in his
head in thirteen operations. At a ho-
tel In Bloomington recently the guests
began 10 Quiz the plain country boy
What Is 96S times 1882" asked Chi
ago drummer, suddenly. "One hun
lred and four thousand no hundred
md four" replied AtShur. without a !
moments delav.
After the drummer had figured II out
he found that the boy was correct.
Questioned as To how h. did IL so ,
dickly Arthur ~efused TO tell. admit
ing, however that he used processes
or calculating iapidy which he him
elf had discovered. Unlike most mathe- 9
natical wonders. he made no claim to
NY special gifts rom heaven or any
-%prrutfr- UUvrrs. Az yarTpte uf now
e works out his problems by wondrous
Methods Of his own he asked a young
July 80. $780, he replied. .
That was Friday" said young
riffith without hesitation :
Asked how he did it. ne said:
THE ratio OF July H. \ quarter of 9
is 20. and added to so ia 100: then add
10 date, gives l30. The ratio Of the 9
onth added makes l32. and divided by
gives a remainder or 6. and. begin
ing with sunday. Friday is the sixth =
iy. You were born on Friday"
When asked WHY the 20 and Why -
ily's ratio was .. he replied: mo mat
=. That is one Of his new rules for =
pid calculation. Then ne added that
; intended publishing book with his -
rmulae for rapid calculation printed
erein and copyrighted. and accord -
gly he didn't want to make them
iblic before. The boy can repeat the .
'wers Of un 10 the thirty-third. and
Zen one of the drummers doubted II,
thur said: 1T is 1l6, AS, 32f. SOC, ,9S4,-
I i53, 1876"
The rhirty-third power NJ two he g.
ovy m rtTp EHT1e wav ASKED To muT- =
'iy the same together he said almost -
thout hesitation ono deciIHon. a
mber zoo big ior anyone present to So
asp.
i can do addition, subtraction. null -
lication and division in forty-four
fercnt ways" said Arthur. "and -
p extract the cube root of ninc place
mbers. and the square root OF six
re numbers In four seconds"
What is the cube root of ! .S67. .6Si?" -
was asked
Why" responded the boy that is =
-
enough none Of the bo/s
'thers and sisters nossess his re -
rkapic faculty.. lie HIS a line mead
] face ard Is now i'm good health. lie -
s not care FOR games or Sports But
is an untlring worker and works
m sunrise 90 sunset on the farm
u his father Ills one ambition IL
turn hia mathematical ability to
d. Practical aycoun; and earn a sal
which win make him able - helm -
rather support ,nc family