The Greeley tribune., 1905-02-23
MINDS FOR FIGURES.
PRecocIOuS YOUTHS WHO HAVE
BEEN MATHEMATICAL WIZARDS

George Parker Bidder was one of the
most remarkable mathematical gen
, fuses and was about the only one
among this class OF infant proi!sieS
whose talents We're really useful in
later life and followed up his preco-
cious youth with successful NAH
hood.
Bidder was born in 1906 nj Morton
Hampstead. in Devonshire, EhSiahu'
where his father carried on small
business as stonemason. When ohiy
four wears old Bidder showed most
extraordinary ability for calculation.
His peculiar talents soon attracteu
general attention. and his father found
il more profitable to travel about the
country and exhibit his son AS the
calculating phenomenon" than tolloW
his humble trade. The boy was taken
to London, and his peculiar talents
were investigated by the most learned
men of his time. whom he astonished
by the rapidity with which he an
swered the most difficult questions.
The following question was solved oy
him In forty seconds: Suppose the
ball at the top Of st. Peters cathedral
to be six feet in diameter, what did
the gliding cost at 3la pence per square
tnch:" The answer. f237 los. Id. was
given before the examiner had time TO
put the figures of the example on pa
per. The following question was an
swered in sixty seconds: suppose
city to be Illuminated with 9,999 lamps.
each lamp to consume one pint OF OIL
every four hours in succession. how
many gallons would they consume III
forty years." The answer contains
nine figures, 100. .4s9 $50 gallons, An
other curious question was. suppose
the earth to consist Of s7l.0oooO In
habitants and suppose they die IN 80
wears 4 months. how many have re-
turned to dust since the time OF Adam.
computing 1t to be ESQ years: This
problem offered NO difficulties 10 the
lad. who nonchalantly ratified on the
answer in less than thirty seconds.
Fortunately for the boy. he attracted
Iue dIlcutlOL VI SoliiS SAhAAShN
ars, who had him educated at Gambler
well and afterward. at Edinburgh.
where he carried Of all the prizes for
the study OF higher mathematics. Aft
er his graduation from college he pur-
sued the profession OF engineer and be-
came associated with Robert Stephen
son and assisted in constructing the
vh,r rail FOL in lTn l,n
entered parliament, and many stories
are told of Bidders wonderful skill in
detecting II taw in some set OF elabo-
rate calculations. He died al Dart
mouth in 1878.
Another extraordinary child was Ze-
rah Colburn. who was born Ut Cabot.
VT. IN 1904. His remarkable genius
for abstruse mathematical problems
was displayed at an early age. and
when eight years old he solved the
most difficult problems by the mere
operation of his mind Asked by an
eminent mathematician 10 give the
square of s59.999. he replied almost in
stantly. giving the figures %a.a9S.op.-
QOOl. without any hesitation He oo-
served that he produced the result by
multiplying the square of S1,oS1 by the
square of -. He was then asked TO
multiply the snswer twice by ~ and
)nce by %. task which he accomplish
ed in less than two minutes, although
the answer consists OF seventeen ig-
ures. In FIVE seconds he gave the cube
root OF 4l3, 1898 .34S,6I. and To all queS-
tons Of a similar nature he succeeded
In giving correct answers. Professors
and scientific men endeavored TO OBJ
tain 4 knowledge OF Colburu'S methods,
but the boy declared that he was IN
able to explain how the answers came
into his mind. He was ignorant of the
commoneSt rules Of arithmetic and
could not solve q problem on paper. not
even a simple feat in multiplication or
division. Colburu's faculty OF conpu
tarion left him when he reached man
hood. and he died at the early age Of
thirty-si1-
A singular instance OF this curious
development OF the calculating faculty
and differing in several respects from
Bidder and Colburn is the case Of Je-
bediah Buxton. who. though he cannot
be called an infant prodigy. was one Of
the most remarkable OF the mental cal
culatoss whose names are part of the
history OF the curious. Buxton was
born In l70T at Elnerron. in Derhyshire,
where his father was scho-olnaster.
Notwithstanding his fathers profes-
sion. Jebe,tiah's education was neglect
ed He was not even taught 70 write
II WAS NOT until he had s-rivei at
mans estate that he showed any apt
tude for mental arithmetic once in
terested in the subject. however. his
mind developed with amazing rapidity.
He had & remarkable uieuo-y. and
while in the midst OF problem be
could desisr aud resume the operatiou
again where he had left OF. even II II
were year after. \ remarkable thing
about the man was that he would al
low two persons TO propose dLferens
problems At the same kline. nd he
would answer each without the least