Happy Pi Day

Discussion in 'Education & Learning' started by Lois Winters, Mar 14, 2020.

  1. Lois Winters

    Lois Winters Veteran Member
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    Today is National Pi Day. Of course it is always on 3.14. 89435957_2729478397106316_3548889149782097920_n.jpg
     
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  2. Ed Wilson

    Ed Wilson Veteran Member
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    I saw a movie when I was a kid where scientists were deciding what signal to send into space in the hope of contacting alien life but they didn't know what to send. The son of one of the scientists suggested that they send "pi" because it is a universal ratio. He did this after walking into the room eating a piece of "pie". At first the scientists didn't get until the son explained it.
     
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  3. Micki Pembroke

    Micki Pembroke Veteran Member
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    Sorry, totally lost. What is National Pi Day. :confused:.
     
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  4. Lois Winters

    Lois Winters Veteran Member
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    Pi is an endless number beginning with 3.14 and is a symbol used by mathemeticians. It relates to the circumference of a circle and its diameter. It is mind boggling and so folks just have fun with it.
     
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  5. Lois Winters

    Lois Winters Veteran Member
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  6. Hugh Manely

    Hugh Manely Very Well-Known Member
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    Of course pi day is April 14 at about 1:59.3 in the afternoon. That's because the digits are non-terminating, non-repeating, as is true of all irrational numbers (a real no. which is not rational).

    But, technically, the exact moment of time that is equal to pi cannot be calculated because it is irrational. It's similar to the old argument that if a person could stand back from a wall a then go 1/2 the distance to the wall, and then keep repeating this forever, they would never get to the wall, because its always possible to take half of any number.

    We could call this moment of time a "singularity point". Its like asking at what moment the universe was created, as in the "big bang", an undefinable point. I've asked atheists about the time between t=0 (no time) and the instant (if it can be called that) that t = (infinitesimally small), and no one has answered. Well, I can answer it - God is timeless, and He can do what appears impossible to humans to be entirely possible.

    Sorry, I didn't mean to go off on a tangent.
     
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  7. Hal Pollner

    Hal Pollner Veteran Member
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    When I use PI, I limit the extended form to 3.14159.

    22/7 is also a good approximation if you're not too demanding.

    Hal
     
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  8. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Veteran Member
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    tan(π) = 0 .:p
     
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  9. Hugh Manely

    Hugh Manely Very Well-Known Member
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    Yes, I used to tell my students: "May I have a large container of coffee?" (counting the digits in each word gives pi correct to several places)

    355/113 is also pretty good.
     
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  10. Hugh Manely

    Hugh Manely Very Well-Known Member
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    Sorry! I had a "senior moment". I meant to say March 14, instead of April 14. (Well, they say if you don't use it, then you'll ..........
     
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  11. Hal Pollner

    Hal Pollner Veteran Member
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    I knew an engineer at work who claimed he could recite Pi to 100 decimal places.

    Fortunately, he is currently under sedation...

    Hal
     
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