Zerah Colburn was an American child prodigy of the 19th century who gained fame as a mental calculator.
Zerah Colburn, a mental calculator, as a child. Engraving, 1 Wellcome V0007040
William Rowan Hamilton
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Sir William Rowan Hamilton was an Irish mathematician, physicist, and astronomer who made numerous major contributions to algebra, classical mechanics, and optics. His theoretical works and mathematic
Zerah Colburn (mental calculator)
…in January 1812, sailed with him for England. In September 1813 Colburn was being exhibited in Dublin. Colburn was pitted against the eight-year-old William Rowan Hamilton in a mental arithmetic contest, with Colburn emerging the clear victor. In reaction to his defeat, Hamilton dedicated less time to studying languages…
Master Noakes, the mental calculator, 1827 lithograph
The sculpture A Hunger for Knowledge in Hamilton's home town of Trim shows a Salmon of Knowledge and is inscribed with the equations of Hamiltonian mechanics
Quaternion Plaque on Broom Bridge in Dublin
Irish commemorative coin celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth