GENIUS AT FIGURES

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 97, 18 January 1921, Page 8

GENIUS AT FIGURES

CALCULATING FEATS OF A BLIND MAN.

Extraordinary calculating feats of a man of 26 named Fleury, blind from birth, are described by Dr. L. Lotte, of the asylum at Armentieres. Despite his ability, Fleury is of inferior general mentality, if not insane. “Fleury can give the square root of any number running into six figures in six seconds,” says the “Lancet.” “He gave the cube root of 34,012,224 in 11 seconds, and the cube root of 465,484,375 in 13 seconds.

- “These seem mere trifles, however, compared with t’le following:—He was asked how many grains of corn there would be in any one of 6-1 boxes, with one in tho first, two in the second, four in the third, eight in tho fourth, and so on iu succession. Ho gave the answers for the 14th (8192), for the 18th (131,072), and the 24th (8,388,608) instantaneously, and he gave the figures for the 48th box (140,737,488,355,328) in six seconds. On the request to give the total in all the boxes he furnished the correct answer (18,446,734,073,709,551,615) in 45 seconds.”

Being blind from birth, he has never seen figures, but has studied Braille and devised some metno’d bFrfiis own. He has been offered tho opportunity of further education.