Rüdiger Gamm (born 10 July 1971) is a German "

mental calculator Mental calculation (also known as Mind, mental computation) consists of arithmetical calculations made by the mind, within the human brain, brain, with no help from any supplies (such as pencil and paper) or devices such as a calculator. People m ...

". He attained the ability to mentally evaluate large arithmetic expressions at the age of 21. He can also speak backwards, and calculate

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s. Featured on the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

program ''The Real Superhumans'', he was examined by

Allan Snyder Allan Whitenack Snyder (born 1942) is the director of the Centre for the Mind at the University of Sydney, Australia where he also holds the 150th Anniversary Chair of Science and the Mind. He is a co-founder of Emotiv Systems and winner of t ...

, an expert on

savant Savant syndrome ( , ) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics, despite significant social or intellectual impairment. Those with the condition generally have a neurodevel ...

s, who concluded that Gamm's ability was not a result of

savant syndrome Savant syndrome ( , ) is a phenomenon where someone demonstrates exceptional aptitude in one domain, such as art or mathematics, despite significant social or intellectual impairment. Those with the condition generally have a neurodevel ...

but connected to

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinians, Augustinian ...

. In terms of mental calculations, Rüdiger's most notable talent is the ability to memorize large powers. In the 2008 Mental Calculation World Cup in Leipzig, he recited 81¹⁰⁰, which took approximately 2 minutes and 30 seconds. In the tournament itself, he performed strongly, finishing in 5th position overall. He also held a seminar in 2012 at the BOLDTalks event at DUCTAC (Dubai).

Early life

Rüdiger Gamm was born on 10 July 1971 in Welzheim, Germany. Gamm stated that he learnt how to speak backwards before learning how to speak forwards which prompted classmates to tease him or avoid him. Gamm was a self-proclaimed underachiever at school and stated "I was the worst in my class at maths. I failed my exam six times and hated school a lot. The only thing I was interested in was

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. I wanted to be like

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

, rather than a mathematician." Gamm recalls, shortly after leaving college, listening to the radio and calculating alongside a champion mathematician. After Gamm answered the calculations faster than the champion, he started training his brain into the field of mental math and, a year later, appeared on the German TV game show Wetten, dass..? (in the

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it is known as Wanna Bet? and in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

known as

You Bet! ''You Bet!'' is a British game show, based on the German series '' Wetten, dass..?'', that originally aired on ITV for ten series and a number of specials between 20 February 1988 and 12 April 1997, and was revived on 7 December 2024. It was i ...

.) Gamm won the show with the highest score achieved and received a prize of 8,400 Deutsche Marks.

References

External links

The Real Superhumans

, 2007
Deutschlands Superhirn 2013

Web Interview 2016

Japanese television appearance (2007) - Part 1

Japanese television appearance (2007) - Part 2

Japanese television appearance (2007) - Part 3
Mental calculators 1971 births Living people {{germany-bio-stub