[skinner_]

If being probabilistic prevented learning deterministic functions, transformers couldn’t learn addition either. But they can, so that can't be the reason.

[wat10000]

People are probabilistic, and I've been informed that people are able to perform multiplication.

[ddingus]

Yes, and unlike the LLM they can iterate on a problem.

When I multiply, I take it in chunks.

Put the LLM into a loop, instruct it to keep track of where it is and have it solve a digit at a time.

I bet it does just fine. See my other comment as to why I think that is.

[krackers]

Are you sure? I bet you if you pull 10 people off the street and ask them to multiply 5 digit by 5 digit numbers by hand, you won't have a 100% success rate.

[wat10000]

The pertinent fact is that there exist people who can reliably perform 5x5 multiplication, not that every single person on the planet can do it.

[emp17344]

I bet with a little training, practically anyone could multiply 5 digit numbers reliably.