6-year-old 'number kid' effortlessly solves complex mathematical problems in seconds: 'Blew my mind'

Mathematics is a subject feared by some, but also deeply loved by many. While the world has figured out easier ways to tackle mathematical situations, 6-year-old Nathan Katcher is putting those adults to shame who need to open their calculator apps to cross-check the change they should get back at the grocery store checkout.

The red-haired first grader is setting major "mental math" goals for both kids and adults across social media through how quickly he solves tough mathematical equations. The boy's mother Rachel Katcher has been sharing his incredible mathematical skills with the world through the @nathanthenumberkid TikTok account. Hailing from Chesterfield, Missouri, Nathan is the youngest son of Rachel and Micah who love challenging both their children with interesting mathematical problems. 

One of the videos shared by Rachel on TikTok took the internet by storm, gaining over 64k views. It shows the youngster effortlessly solving this complex equation: "The square root of 81, times 10, divided by 2, times 3, minus 20, plus 15, minus 30, times 10, divided by 2." While most of us may go bonkers trying to solve this, Nathan took exactly 44 seconds to arrive at the final answer of 500! His exceptional math skills have received immense admiration from TikTok users and they can’t get over how quick the kid is with advanced-level maths!

He is not just a math prodigy, according to TODAY, as he’s also taught himself how to play the piano with the help of an app. Furthermore, ask him about the property costs in different Monopoly versions and he'll surprise you by listing them all accurately. His mother says that his red hair and personality justify him being called a "firecracker."

The story of how Nathan became such a pro at solving maths began during the COVID-19 lockdown. Rachel revealed that when her two boys Nathan and Evan were 3 and 6, they were stuck indoors, so she took on the role of a teacher and taught them both the same level of mathematical concepts. Eventually, she noticed that Nathan would count school buses every time they went for a ride in the car. However, rather than starting from one every time, the youngster seemed to keep a tally and pick up the count from wherever he left it after the previous ride. It "blew my mind" when he kept this up for over 300 buses, said Rachel.

She also revealed that Nathan started a new trend in his class of writing down numbers on long scrolls of paper, a habit that soon brushed off on his classmates. Eventually, every kid in his class started showing up with their scrolls of written numbers. Even though the teacher loved it, she had to email Rachel asking her to stop it because there was no more room to walk in the class. 

Elaborating on Nathan’s gifted mind and his love for mathematics, Rachel shared that it’s something that not only brings immense focus to her son's life but also brings the family together for some fun moments. Currently, Nathan has his eyes set on the calculus side of mathematics which already seems to have surpassed the capabilities of the adults in his life, his mother jokingly said. Addressing questions of whether Nathan is going to be the next math genius, his mother said: “He’s a normal six-year-old boy who wants to do a different thing every day.” Like most kids his age, Nathan enjoys a plethora of things that make his childhood enjoyable; whether it’s playing baseball, co-hosting his brother’s YouTube channel or singing.