Countdown

[slimfandango]

How the heck is that new unsmiling youngster doing that maths? Does anyone have a copy of the one he pulled off yesterday? I don't even know how it was possible! He took mostly large numbers, then worked it out by bringing it up to like 83,6200 at one point, then worked back down. Totally crazy. Anyone got the sum?

[cheyenne]

I watched it,Carol he's after your job!!

[beckyboo]

100, 75, 50, 25, 10, 1 - 813

75-10=65

65*25=1625

1625=1=1626

1626*50=81300

81300/100=813

Easy, any schoolkid that age could do it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[slimfandango]

thanks for that. amazing huh?

[slimfandango]

He would have about 4-5 seconds to work out 1626*50=81300. Just bizarre.

[slimfandango]

Maybe someone in the audience was coughing coded equations?

[Tim Baxter]

not an answer 'cos I haven't seem the prog but any number multiplied by 50 is equal to:- divide by 2 and add 2 zeros (it doesn't matter which way round but an odd number requires the zeros to be added first, for easiness).  E.g. 245346 / 2 = 122673 then add 00 = 12267300, easy.

[slimfandango]

aaaaah.

So he found a 'niche'. Pick all high numbers, then use those little tricks. Strange no one thought of it before. And I thought he was a genius!