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‘Human computer’ sets calculation record
27-year-old calculated 13th root of a 200-digit number in 72 seconds
 Don Emmert / AFP - Getty Images Alexis Lemaire of France smiles after calculating the 13th root of a 200-digit number in 72 seconds, besting his previous record by five seconds. |
 | Weird Science |
updated 5:58 p.m. ET Nov. 15, 2007
NEW YORK - In a basement room at the Hall of Science in New York, Alexis Lemaire has set a world record in calculation.
The 27-year-old artificial-intelligence researcher from France calculated the 13th root of a 200-digit number in 72 seconds.
That’s about five seconds faster than the previous record, which Lemaire also held.
He says in artificial-intelligence research, the goal is to get computers to mimic the human brain. But in fast calculation, he’s trying to do the exact opposite: mimic the action of a computer.
The 200-digit number is too long to repeat here. But if you multiply two quadrillion, 397 trillion, 207 billion, 667 million, 966 thousand, 701 by itself 13 times — you’ll get it.
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