KOCHI: Can you compute 967,58,324 times two off the top of your head? George Kuriaype can, that too in seconds. A native of Kothamangalam, George is an avid mathematician or rather, as he calls himself, a magic math exponent. Based on a calculation technique he developed a little over two years ago, George can crunch digits at a speed that takes to bat an eyelid.
“It began as an impulsive experiment after coming across a news report about a boy with autism being able to identify days in the calendar. I had been interested in adding and multiplying numbers when I was a kid so I gave it a go again and to my surprise, I was able to work out a viable and fool-proof method in no time,” says George who works at KLM Axiva Finvest Ltd.
“I came up with a technique to calculate the day a date falls on. Give me any date in the future or past and I can tell you what day it is. I discovered that iPhone’s calender was incorrect around 1900 AD and I wrote to them regarding the issue, Apple’s team replied saying they have taken note of the issue but could not rectify it due to some technical glitch,” says Geroge.
“I also invented a method to multiply two with a given number until 54 digits without using a calculator or without having to write anything down. Just like writing prose, I can go on writing numbers and finish at 92,000 crores,” he adds
On being asked what it takes to master his technique, George contends that it is quite simple. “Anyone with normal IQ levels can make use of the method, even those who are not interested in mathematics can now have some fun with numbers. I want my technique to reach the maximum people so students who consider themselves not good at mathematics will start to think otherwise,” says the 54-year-old.
George who is also a motivational trainer has demonstrated his skill in a few schools and colleges including Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, Kothamangalam and SNDP Higher Secondary School, Muvattupuzha. He is looking forward to conducting more such sessions in collaboration with an NGO which recently approached him. “I am working on developing more techniques that would make calculations easy,” he says.