DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70301#0131
ZERAH COLBURN
113
Mas brought the child to this country, where they arrived on
the 12th of May, 1812, and the inhabitants of the metropolis
have had an opportunity of seeing and examining this won-
derful phenomenon, at the Exhibition Rooms, Spring-Gar-
dens, and of verifying the reports that have been circulated
respecting him.
Many persons in this country, of the first eminence for
their knowledge in mathematics, and well known for their
philosophical inquiries, have made a point of seeing and
conversing with him: and they have all been struck with
astonishment at his extraordinary powers. It is correctly
true, as stated of him, that—“ He will tell the exact product
arising from the multiplication of any number, consisting of
two, three, or four figures, by any other number consisting
of the like number of figures. Or, any number, consisting
of six or seven places of figures, being proposed, he will
determine, with equal expedition and ease, all the factors of
which it is composed. This singular faculty consequently
extends not only to the raising of powers, but also to the ex-
traction of the square wa&cube roots of the number proposed;
and likewise to the means of determining whether it be a
prime number (or a number incapable of division by any
other number); for which case there does not exist, at present,
any general rule amongst mathematicians.” All these, and a
variety of other questions connected therewith, are answered
by this child with such promptness and accuracy (and in the
midst of his juvenile pursuits) as to astonish every person
who has visited him.
Amongst a variety of cases of this kind, the following
singular instances are particularly worthy of being recorded*
He was asked to tell the square of 999,999: which, after
some little time, he stated to be 999,998,000,001; and he
further observed, that he had produced this result by multi-
plying the square of 37037 by the square of 27. He then,
of his own accord, multiplied that product by 49; and said
vol, tv, 2
113
Mas brought the child to this country, where they arrived on
the 12th of May, 1812, and the inhabitants of the metropolis
have had an opportunity of seeing and examining this won-
derful phenomenon, at the Exhibition Rooms, Spring-Gar-
dens, and of verifying the reports that have been circulated
respecting him.
Many persons in this country, of the first eminence for
their knowledge in mathematics, and well known for their
philosophical inquiries, have made a point of seeing and
conversing with him: and they have all been struck with
astonishment at his extraordinary powers. It is correctly
true, as stated of him, that—“ He will tell the exact product
arising from the multiplication of any number, consisting of
two, three, or four figures, by any other number consisting
of the like number of figures. Or, any number, consisting
of six or seven places of figures, being proposed, he will
determine, with equal expedition and ease, all the factors of
which it is composed. This singular faculty consequently
extends not only to the raising of powers, but also to the ex-
traction of the square wa&cube roots of the number proposed;
and likewise to the means of determining whether it be a
prime number (or a number incapable of division by any
other number); for which case there does not exist, at present,
any general rule amongst mathematicians.” All these, and a
variety of other questions connected therewith, are answered
by this child with such promptness and accuracy (and in the
midst of his juvenile pursuits) as to astonish every person
who has visited him.
Amongst a variety of cases of this kind, the following
singular instances are particularly worthy of being recorded*
He was asked to tell the square of 999,999: which, after
some little time, he stated to be 999,998,000,001; and he
further observed, that he had produced this result by multi-
plying the square of 37037 by the square of 27. He then,
of his own accord, multiplied that product by 49; and said
vol, tv, 2