Smart guy, this one.

Despite all the ego and superstition wrapped up around this issue (and, well, just about everything else in cycling it seems), it's pretty much a math problem. But, given the state of education in today's America, I can see why it's kinda hard for some folks to get their head wrapped around the idea that you can climb anything with a double, compact double, or triple, if you use equivalent gearing. And you can get equivalent gearing using any one of those set-ups, doncha know.

Sheldon already answered this question for us: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/index.html

You just have to be able to count (and type using only the number keys!), so most people here can probably figure this out.