Thomas Fuller (mental calculator) facts for kids
Thomas Fuller (born 1710 – died 1790) was an African man known for his incredible math skills. He was also called "Negro Tom" or the "Virginia Calculator." He lived during a time when many people were enslaved.
The Story of Thomas Fuller
Thomas was born in Africa around 1710, probably near what is now Liberia or Benin. When he was about 14 years old, in 1724, he was taken from his home and brought to America. He became the property of Presley and Elizabeth Cox in Alexandria, Virginia.
Thomas could not read or write. The Cox family owned 16 enslaved people, but they seemed to value Thomas the most. He was thankful that they never sold him to another owner.
Many stories about his amazing math abilities spread across the eastern part of the United States. People even used his skills to show that black people were just as smart as white people.
His Amazing Math Skills
When Thomas Fuller was around 70 years old, two men named William Hartshorne and Samuel Coates visited Alexandria. They were from Pennsylvania and had heard about Thomas's special talents. They asked to meet him.
The men asked Thomas two math questions to see if the stories were true.
First, they asked him how many seconds are in a year and a half. Thomas thought for about two minutes and then gave the answer: 47,304,000 seconds.
Second, they asked him how many seconds a man has lived if he is 70 years, 17 days, and 12 hours old. Thomas answered in about a minute and a half: 2,210,500,800 seconds.
One of the men was writing down the math on paper. He told Thomas that his answer was too high. Thomas quickly replied, "Stop, massa, you forget the leap year." When they added the extra day for leap years, Thomas's answer was exactly right!
Even though Thomas gave perfect answers, the two men thought his mind might have been even sharper when he was younger. They wrote that he had gray hair and showed other signs of old age. He had worked hard on a farm his whole life.
Thomas spoke kindly about his owner, Mrs. Cox. He especially mentioned how grateful he was that she refused to sell him, even when people offered a lot of money.
Mr. Coates said it was a shame Thomas had not received an education to match his genius. Thomas replied, "No, Massa, it is best I had no learning, for many learned men be great fools." This showed he believed that being smart didn't always come from school.
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Fuller (calculista mental) para niños
