I recently overheard someone letting off a bit of steam regarding their inability to do maths.

The part I heard went like this: "Humans aren't naturally good at maths. I mean, that's why we built computers. We get the computers to do the maths because we're just not naturally good at it."

I had to chuckle to myself as I walked on past. They obviously struggled with maths at school (like many people) and wanted to justify their inadequacy.

Here's why they're wrong:

Humans invented the computer (and the calculator). A computer/calculator is simply a machine that takes the inputs (the buttons you press) and gives you an output (the answer on the display). The actual process of converting the inputs to outputs requires programming. It involves compex algorithms which must be set up by... a human.

These algorithms will work for every input. It's not that the calculator somehow 'knows the answer,' but go through a process to reach the solution shown. For example, I have a few algorithms which help me multiply numbers together. I do not know the answer to every possible multiplication problem, but with pen and paper I could (if I so desired) figure out the answer. With time, I can use algorithms and other methods to figure out square roots of awkward numbers, and I could even develop methods to calculate the value of pi to however many decimal places.

But a computer can do it faster! This is the only benefit to using a computer/calculator. The human brain is capable of performing every operation that a calculator can do, but (in general) the calculator will be faster.

However, we do need a human brain to interpret the answer that is given by a computer. We need to use a 'test of reasonableness' to make sure the answer is in the region we expect. If I input 5x6 and get an answer of 300, I'd need to double-check I entered the inputs correctly. However, those people who struggle with maths often expect a calculator to always give them the correct answer, attempting to relieve themselves of the responsibility to check the resonableness of the answer they get.

In short, using a calculator still requires more than just the ability to punch numbers in. You still need a logical brain, or you end up with (more) problems!

To conclude, a computer will only ever have mathematical talent as good as the person who programmed it... it's just that the computer will do it faster. Mathematics helps you to develop logical reasoning. It seems that the person who said the quote above struggled with maths, and it shows through their lack of logical reasoning in their statement!