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Article: Pi a la Mode.(delving into the apparent random nature of pi's digits)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- September 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Mathematicians tackle the seeming randomness of pi's digits
Memorizing the digits of pi--the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter--presents a hefty challenge to anyone undertaking that quixotic exercise. Starting with 3.14159265, the decimal digits of pi run on forever, and there is no discernible pattern to ease the task.
The apparent randomness of pi's digits has long intrigued mathematician David H. Bailey of the Lawrence Berkeley (Calif.) National Laboratory. In the 1970s, when Bailey was a graduate student at Stanford University, he memorized the value of pi to more than 300 decimal places. It served "as a diversion during classroom ...
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... ... calculating the value of pi to more than 100,000 digits, died Feb. 27 of ... compute the value of pi to more than 1,000 digits. In 1961, Dr. Wrench ... computers, the value of pi has been calculated to more than 1 trillion digits. John William Wrench ...
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