Why is it hard for most people to multiply/divide large complex numbers in their head?

[Saiyan300Warrior]

From the untrained layman to the skilled mathematician. With how powerful the brain is , why can't it do what a super computer calculator can do? I remember watching 60 minutes and it showed this idiot savant who was born with the gift of doing large sums in his head and even counting pi decimal values to over 1000+ correct places. It made me wonder if maybe little configurations to the brain would allow it to do other things like do large sums in head and tasks people currently find hard. Question also reminds me of P vs NP question for some reason.

[iNow]

We never needed to when attempting to survive the past several hundred million years. The things which helped us have surviving children are the things which got selected for 

Edited December 4, 2020 by iNow

[Roamer]

We still don't need to, btw, since we have computers.

[studiot]

On 12/4/2020 at 5:03 AM, Saiyan300Warrior said:

From the untrained layman to the skilled mathematician. With how powerful the brain is , why can't it do what a super computer calculator can do? I remember watching 60 minutes and it showed this idiot savant who was born with the gift of doing large sums in his head and even counting pi decimal values to over 1000+ correct places. It made me wonder if maybe little configurations to the brain would allow it to do other things like do large sums in head and tasks people currently find hard. Question also reminds me of P vs NP question for some reason.

During WWII a professor of Maths was imprisoned by the Nazis and spent his time developing a methd to do eactly this because he had no paper, computer etc.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?source=hp&ei=Y2jLX5fWM4qaUsOmrYgD&q=trachtenberg+method&oq=trachtenberg&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgAMgIIADICCAAyAgguMgIIADICCAAyAgguMgIILjICCAAyAggAMgIIADoICAAQsQMQgwE6CAguELEDEIMBOgsILhCxAxDHARCjAjoFCAAQsQM6DgguELEDEIMBEMcBEK8BOhAIABCxAxCDARCxAxCxAxAKOgUIABDJAzoFCAAQkgM6CggAELEDEIMBEAo6BQguELEDUCZYtCdg3kNoAXAAeAGAAaYFiAHIK5IBCTItMS40LjIuNZgBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXo&sclient=psy-ab

 

The Trachtenberg system is weird  but not difficult to learn and really does work.

[swansont]

On 12/4/2020 at 12:03 AM, Saiyan300Warrior said:

It made me wonder if maybe little configurations to the brain would allow it to do other things like do large sums in head and tasks people currently find hard. 

1. Is there any evidence we know what the configuration is that would allow this?

2. Is there any evidence we could do such manipulation, if the answer to #1 was "yes"?

[Saiyan300Warrior]

7 hours ago, swansont said:

1. Is there any evidence we know what the configuration is that would allow this?

2. Is there any evidence we could do such manipulation, if the answer to #1 was "yes"?

1. Well I was thinking the idiot savant who was born with ability to do large sums in head may have genetic mutation or different brain structure compared to most humans ... Maybe if it was configured like the idiot savant we could do more in terms of calculating large numbers without calculator and general arithmetic more efficiently

2. I think science on brain is still young, that's as much as I know

 

 

[swansont]

42 minutes ago, Saiyan300Warrior said:

1. Well I was thinking the idiot savant who was born with ability to do large sums in head may have genetic mutation or different brain structure compared to most humans ... Maybe if it was configured like the idiot savant we could do more in terms of calculating large numbers without calculator and general arithmetic more efficiently

That’s not what I asked.

 

42 minutes ago, Saiyan300Warrior said:

2. I think science on brain is still young, that's as much as I know

So your proposal can’t be carried out. The answer is no, we can’t currently do this.

[MigL]

Don't want to use your term, as it seems derogatory.
Some people in the autism spectrum disorder have a much more 'narrowed/focused' train of thought.
While a majority of people have a multitude of things going on in their heads, some are able to narrow their focus on just a few particular tasks, and do them extremely well.
But, what do I know.
I'm basing this on the Ben Affleck move 'The Accountant"
( best thing he's done since Good Will Hunting )

[Saiyan300Warrior]

7 hours ago, swansont said:

That’s not what I asked.

 

So your proposal can’t be carried out. The answer is no, we can’t currently do this.

That's pretty much what you asked. I said MAYBE it is the configuration that the idiot savant may have. Also I said MAYBE IF, so was just speculating the "WHAT IF"...