“If I were asked that question, I’d ask for some pencil and paper because I’m mediocre at mental arithmetic.”
I probably would have gotten the answer, but it wouldn’t have occurred to me to say that the initial information was wrong. It’s part of an initiation ritual for a mathematical cult; why would anyone bother checking to see if the actual numbers are correct? Saying “I do not, in fact, believe the information given is correct” feels like saying “The air around me contains oxygen”.
For everyone who hasn’t read A Fire Upon The Deep (Vinge): Godshatter is the term he uses for a superintelligence ramming data and thought patterns into a human brain.