<p>I never really understood how incredibly smart people can be.</p>
<p>This guy who graduated from my school last year is an absolute genius. He wrote a symphony that was performed in the US, Canada, and the UK and won some international award. When he was eight years old. He finished calculus by freshman year and aced four years of Princeton University math before enrolling at Harvard.</p>
<p>Jeez how discouraging.</p>
<p>I know. Some people are beyond amazing.</p>
<p>There is a fifth-grader from the elemetary school up the hill from my HS who comes during the day to take IB Math and IB English classes. Oh, and he is playing ARCT level piano. He performs regularly at public events for the school board and city.</p>
<p>Yeah, people can be [url=<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_prodigy%5Damazing%5B/url">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_prodigy]amazing[/url</a>].</p>
<p>Seriously....I don't know how they do it.</p>
<p>Desire? Hard work? Sure....but Calculus in elementary school.....beats me.</p>
<p>I am a genius. It's just that no one knows it yet ;)</p>
<p>Genes. That's what it's about with kids like these. It's impossible for a normal human being to do these things.</p>
<p>I just think it is early, deep immersion in a subject.</p>
<p>Genes definitely do NOT tell the whole story.</p>
<p>Other uber-geniuses include Terence Tao (Gold medal at IMO at age....13! How in the world?????) and Erik Demaine (Prof at MIT...he's like 20...)</p>
<p>Oh and there are the uber-geniuses also...</p>
<p>like Terence Tao (Gold medal at IMO at age...13! How in the world????)</p>
<p>Erik Demaine (Prof. @MIT...he's like 20 something)</p>
<p>if you want to read about someone crazy</p>
<p>go look this guy up William James Sidis</p>
<p>he's long gone, but man was he crazy (literally)</p>
<p>oh and this guy too, Sho Yano, but he's more sane, he didn't start a science of bus transfers</p>
<p>
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I just think it is early, deep immersion in a subject.</p>
<p>Genes definitely do NOT tell the whole story.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No amount of deep immersion will allow a regular kid to do Calculus in elementary school. No amount of study and deep immersion will let you multiply two random 13-digit numbers in your head in under 25 seconds. No amount of dedication and study will teach a 7 year old the intricacies of quantum mechanics and multivariable calculus.</p>
<p>And that's why they're so rare. Everybody is born with a different set of genes, and some people have genes that make them more able than others. None of us could ever have had a chance at being like one of these kids because we weren't born that way.</p>
<p>but are these people really happy? probably more like disillusioned with life and the constant frustration of trying to deal with inferior intelligence daily... hmm...</p>
<p>my country has one who went to Oxford at age 14 because the schools syllabi were "too easy" for her.</p>
<p>I quote wikipedia:</p>
<p>"Mozart was a child prodigy; Beethoven was not. The world still marvels at them both."</p>
<p>Hardwork takes you just as far as intelligence (ok, to a certain extent :D).</p>
<p>I used to be fascinated by this topic....</p>
<p>Now I feel bad for the people that are blessed with this "gift".</p>
<p>A lot of these people may be superbly smart, but at the same time are incapable of leading normal lives.</p>
<p>right. i mean who would WANT to go to college at age 12? if i were a genius's parent i would focus on helping thiem build their social skills rather than sending them off to college way too early.</p>
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No amount of study and deep immersion will let you multiply two random 13-digit numbers in your head in under 25 seconds.
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</p>
<p>This can actually be done by learning number operations using an abicus. If taught at an early age, the mind becomes a virtual abicus, and can then multiply these large numbers in seconds. (I watched one of these kids perform - it was amazing).</p>
<p>theoneo, do you live in wwp?</p>
<p>Wow, I looked up some of the people mentioned and they are CRAZY!!!</p>
<p>Actually GoldShadow...many prodigies parents weren't all great scientists and geniuses themselves.....</p>
<p>gxing - yeah I do. I guess you know (of) Taktin? Unless you know some other crazy genius who's done all that... The funny thing is, I didn't even know about him until I heard that his senior year all the other seniors got out of class to watch him perform a piano piece in the theater. And then I knew that he got a B in bio honors but an A in physics honors (with the teacher who's mad hard) even though he slept through class. Then I heard he took Princeton math. Then I heard he was going to Harvard. Then I found an article about him on nj.com.</p>
<p>Anyway, I think the successes of child prodigies has a lot to do with the parents (or some other mentor). I mean, realistically, who would have the drive endure so much mental pressure at such a young age? I understand teenagers with alterior motives, but elementary school kids? They would either have to be inspired by a love of learning or pressure, and the former seems (although possible) strangely unlikely.</p>