<blockquote>
  <p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_calculator" rel="nofollow">Mental calculators</a> are people with a prodigious ability in some area of mental calculation, such as multiplying large numbers or factoring large numbers.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Unfortunately I forgot where I heard it, but I remember that it was said that they use parts of the brain that are responsible of motion. So factoring for them is like hitting the light switch or walking.</p>

<p>Assuming that this is correct, isn't it possible to train this ability by performing arithmetics while walking?</p>

<p>From a computer scientist's view, I think this is comparable to the use of the graphic card's CPU to speed up computation. Mental calculators just have the right software to run their GPU. Or do they have a different hardware, and is there no way for the rest of us to achieve this?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-09-27T21:32:05.347Z
Related to this is a common Korean practice called "chisanbop" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chisanbop) or "mental abacus" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_abacus) in which people use mental imagery and physical gestures to aid calculations.  Here is a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYUcsqx5Bh4 (warning: it is a promotional video, but it's insanity what the human mind can achieve this way, as they have elementary school children adding and multiplying several multi-digit numbers in seconds).
Arnon Weinberg
<intelligence><cognitive-neuroscience><brain-training><mathematical-ability><savant-syndrome>
How far can we train mental calculation?
draks ...
# How far can we train mental calculation?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-01-09)

> [Mental calculators](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_calculator) are people with a prodigious ability in some area of mental calculation, such as multiplying large numbers or factoring large numbers.

Unfortunately I forgot where I heard it, but I remember that it was said that they use parts of the brain that are responsible of motion. So factoring for them is like hitting the light switch or walking.

Assuming that this is correct, isn't it possible to train this ability by performing arithmetics while walking?

From a computer scientist's view, I think this is comparable to the use of the graphic card's CPU to speed up computation. Mental calculators just have the right software to run their GPU. Or do they have a different hardware, and is there no way for the rest of us to achieve this?

**Tags:** intelligence, cognitive-neuroscience, brain-training, mathematical-ability, savant-syndrome

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Related to this is a common Korean practice called "chisanbop" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chisanbop) or "mental abacus" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_abacus) in which people use mental imagery and physical gestures to aid calculations.  Here is a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYUcsqx5Bh4 (warning: it is a promotional video, but it's insanity what the human mind can achieve this way, as they have elementary school children adding and multiplying several multi-digit numbers in seconds).  

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## 0 answers

