The Supercalculators
Alex Bellos heads to Germany to meet the supercalculators taking part in this year's Mental Calculation World Cup. Prepare to be dazzled by some amazing mathematical feats.
Alex Bellos is brilliant at all things mathematical, but even he can't hold a candle to the amazing mathematical feats of the supercalculators. Alex heads to Wolfsburg in Germany to meet the contestants at this year's Mental Calculation World Cup. These men and women are the fastest human number crunchers on the planet, able to multiply and divide large numbers with no need to reach for a smart phone, computer or calculator. So how do they do it, and is it a skill that any of us can learn? Alex talks to Robert Fountain, the UK's two-time winner of this prestigious prize, about his hopes for this year's competition and the mathematical magicians of the past who have inspired him. He also meets Rachel Riley, Countdown's number queen, to find out what it takes to beat the countdown clock.
Picture: The Supercalculators, Credit: Alex Bellos
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- Mon 17 Dec 2018 20:32GMT成人快手 World Service Online, Americas and the Caribbean, UK DAB/Freeview, News Internet & Europe and the Middle East only
- Mon 17 Dec 2018 21:32GMT成人快手 World Service Australasia & East Asia only
- Tue 18 Dec 2018 05:32GMT成人快手 World Service Online, UK DAB/Freeview, News Internet & Europe and the Middle East only
- Tue 18 Dec 2018 06:32GMT成人快手 World Service Australasia, Americas and the Caribbean & South Asia only
- Tue 18 Dec 2018 07:32GMT成人快手 World Service East and Southern Africa & East Asia only
- Tue 18 Dec 2018 11:32GMT成人快手 World Service West and Central Africa
- Tue 18 Dec 2018 14:32GMT成人快手 World Service Australasia
- Tue 18 Dec 2018 18:32GMT成人快手 World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia & West and Central Africa only
- Christmas Eve 2018 00:32GMT成人快手 World Service
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