Do i need to be a mental calculator?

[phynoldus]

Hey,
I was wondering if i need to be a mental calculator to pursue my career in theoretical physics or mathematics?
I mean I am not terrible at calculating math problems like 17 x 24 in my head but i am not super fast at calculating in my head problems a bit harder than that.
If so which field should i choose?

 

[jk]

No..

 

[Sentin3l]

I agree with jk. No.

 

[phynoldus]

Could i Get some reasoning?

 

[Jorriss]

Could i Get some reasoning?

A very, very small fraction of physicists or mathematicians are mental calculators.

 

[micromass]

There are many famous mathematicians who are bad at mental calculations:

One striking characteristic of Grothendieck’s mode of thinking is that it seemed to rely so little on examples. This can be seen in the legend of the so-called “Grothendieck prime”. In a mathematical conversation, someone suggested to Grothendieck that they should consider a particular prime number. “You mean an actual number?” Grothendieck asked. The other person replied, yes, an actual prime number. Grothendieck suggested, “All right, take 57.”

And Grothendieck is one of the absolute greatest mathematicians ever.

 

[atyy]

Did he program the computer that gave 42 as the answer to 6X9?

 

[cgk]

OP, you shouldn't spend time on *ANYTHING* a computer can do much, much better than you. Especially mental calculation is a completely useless skill[1].

Getting better at something requires resources, like time. Spending them on something like this means you won't be able to invest them into something which might actually help you!

[1] I mean exact calculations. Of course it can be useful to be able to coarse estimates.