Genius loves numerical company

Daniel Tammet sees numbers in the form of shapes, colours and textures.

"When I multiply numbers together, I see two shapes. The image starts to change and evolve, and a third shape emerges. That's the answer. It's mental imagery. It's like maths without having to think," he told the Guardian.

Tammet's a mathematical genius who can figure out cube roots quicker than a calculator and holds a record for recalling pi to 22,514 decimal places.

What Tammet can't do is drive a car, wire a plug, or tell right from left. That's because he's autistic. More.