Berlin, Germany — an old high school mathematics teacher stood at the center of a paved courtyard, where a small crowd had gathered to watch. The old teacher, however, was not who the audience came for, but rather the one beside him, a large Russian trotting horse. What is so special about this horse, you may ask? This horse can allegedly do math.
For more than a decade, Wilhelm von Osten, the instructor, had helped Clever Hans, the horse, to develop a number of cognitive skills. von Osten would ask a question, and Hans would answer, correctly, by nodding his head, for a “yes” or a “no”, or by tapping his foot to indicate numbers. Clever Hans could show directions by turning his head, could differentiate between “left” and “right”, identify colors, read the clock, recognize and identify playing cards, and understand a large number of different concepts. Not only could Hans count, he could perform arithmetic far beyond the fundamentals.
“How much is 2/5 plus 1/2?”, von Osten would ask. Hans would answer with nine taps followed by another ten to indicate that the answer was 9/10. “What is the square root of sixteen?” Hans would make four taps. “What are the factors of 28?” Hans would tap consecutively 2, 4, 7, 14, 28.
Hans wasn’t just limited to arithmetic. He is also shown to have an excellent memory, as well as the ability to spell words and names of people via taps.
But can it really be true?
Intrigued by horse’s cognitive abilities, psychologists, zoologists, as well as other experts in various fields, set out to investigate if Hans was the real deal. It turned out that Hans wasn’t as smart as the reports claim to be. But he was still good at something, and that something was observing.
More details about this fascinating story over at Amusing Planet.
(Image Credit: Karl Krall/ Wikimedia Commons)