QE MATHS WEBSITE

1. Most Accurate Value Of Pi
As continuation of a long-running project, Professor Yasumasa Kanada of the University of Tokyo has calculated the number pi to 1,241,100,000,000 decimal places. It has been done using a HITACHI SR8000/MPP computer.

WHO: Yasumasa Kanada

WHEN: As of January 18, 2003

WHERE: Tokyo, Japan

WHAT: 1,241,100,000,000 decimal places

2.Typing One To One Million

Les Stewart, of Mudjimba Beach, Queensland, Australia, spent 16 years typing the numbers 1 to 1,000,000 on 19,990 sheets of paper. Starting in 1982, he made the final keystroke on December 7, 1998. Les needed typing skills for a job in the police force, and the tenacious typist remembers sitting down in front of his first typewriter. "I just had a feeling I could break a record on it," he says. Les turned out to be a whiz on the keyboard and was soon promoted to typing instructor. "I had a reputation for being the tidiest and neatest typist in the force," he recalls. Contracting encephalitis in Vietnam left Les seriously ill and partially paralyzed. His employers told him he was too sick to continue work. At this point Les decided to focus all his reserves of discipline and determination on breaking a record. He could still type, but only with one finger, so he began the massive million-digit march to a world record. By the time Les finally typed "one million" he had exhausted seven typewriters, 1,000 ink ribbons, and almost 20,000 sheets of paper. "All I was concerned with was crossing the finishing line," says Les. "I was so positive, I just had to keep the momentum going." The pressure began to mount as Les approached the monumental million. "I realized I would soon have to face the world," he recalls. Journalists and TV crews crowded the living room as Les began the final day of his typing marathon.

WHO: Les Stewart

WHEN: December 7, 1998

WHERE: Australia

WHAT: 16 years

3. Fastest Six Digit Square Root Calculation

M Hari Prasad correctly calculated the square root of a six digit number in 1 minute 3.8 seconds at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, on October 30, 1999. Without the use of a calculator or computer he worked out the square root of 732,915 as 856.1045496. He also made two other successful mathematical attempts - most calender dates calculated in a minute and the fastest time to multiply two eight digit numbers.

WHO: M Hari Prasad

WHEN: October 30, 1999

WHERE: Bangalore, India

WHAT: 1 min 3.8 sec

4. Largest Known Prime Number

The largest known prime number was discovered by Michael Cameron, and announced on 5 December 2001. It is (2 to the power of 13,466,917) – 1. It would have 4,053,946 digits if you were to write it out in full. There is a $100,000 reward to the person who discovers the first ten-million-digit prime number.

WHO: Michael Cameron

WHEN: December 5, 2001

WHERE: N/A

WHAT: 2 to the power of 13,466,917

5. Memorising Pi

42,195 Hiroyuki Goto (Japan) 1995

6. Memorisation of a 2,000 Digit Number (1 Hour)

Random numbers are presented in 25 rows of 40 digits. Scoring is tabulated by row: one point for each digit. However, one mistake reduces the score for that row to 20, the second mistake reduces the score for that row to zero.

900 Dominic O'Brien (Great Britain) 1993
1080 Dominic O'Brien (Great Britain) 1994
1140 Dominic O'Brien (Great Britain) 1995
1392 Dominic O'Brien (Great Britain) 1996
1620 Andi Bell (Great Britain) 1997
1820 Andi Bell (Great Britain) 2000
1840 Yip Swe Chooi (Malaysia) 2002

7. Mental Calculation: Multiplication

Johann Martin Zacharias Dase (Germany, 1824-1861) multiplied two 20 digit numbers in 6 minutes, two 48 digit numbers in 40 minutes and two 100 digit numbers in 8 3/4 hous in 1861.
He also multiplied two 8 digit numbers in 54 seconds. These records are historically accepted, although they were not achieved under modern rules.

8. 23rd root of a 200 digit number

(The 200 digit number should be a number raised to the 23rd power.)

50 sec Shakuntala Devi (India)

Year: 1977

Done in Dallas