Geeks and Greeks rejoice – March 14th is Pi Day (3.14) – a day to celebrate the mathematical constant that seems to find it’s way into all things geometric. Pi is the relationship of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, and mathematicians the world over have spent careers studying its value. Pi is both irrational and transcendental; meaning that no fraction, series, or other finite mathematical expression can express its value exactly. Here are some interesting facts about Pi’s mathematical history:
- Modern supercomputers have been able to calculate the quadrillionth bit of Pi, which happens to be 0. (Quadrillion is 1,000,000,000,000,000)
- Pi has been studied so much in mathematics that it has three distinct ages of history, briefly summarized as Geometric, Calculus, and Modern Computers.
- The world record for reciting digits of Pi is 100,000 digits.
Thanks to Wikipedia.org for facts on Pi. Apple pie photo credit: Linda DuBose