Would you be able to tell, faster than a calculator, what is the square of a 3-digit number, to mentally calculate the day of the week for a given date or the square of a 5-digit number?
Arthur Benjamin proves that, using the right methods and techniques, the human brain is capable of such a performance. He even shows to the public the mental process he goes through and some of the mnemonic techniques he uses. Arthur Benjamin starts with relative simple calculations but finishes with an incredible performance.
His eloquence and the way he manages to pass the message to such a large TED audience are astonishing.
"TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers are invited to give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes -- including speakers such as Jill Bolte Taylor, Sir Ken Robinson, Hans Rosling, Al Gore and Arthur Benjamin. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, politics and the arts."