Happy Pi Day

Jonathan writes "Today, the 14th of March, is Pi Day 2008. Pi Day is internationally celebrated in honor of the mathematical constant "Pi," who's actual value will — now and forever — remain unknown. NeoSmart Technologies has a run-down on the history of Pi, Pi Day, and the significance of Pi and other such "magical numbers" to science and technology. 'Pi isn't just a number that you can use to calculate circle-related mathematics, it's a symbol of something by far greater. Pi is one of many "magic" numbers that are found everywhere — if you know where to look. These magic numbers can't be explained, they just are. And if you use them right, they make it a lot easier to do a lot of really complicated things... In a way, they're a testimony to technology and computers (or vice-versa, depending on how you look at it).'"

Happy Pi day...

... No cake for you!

Re:Happy Pi day...

Actually, the cake is a Pi.

Wrong day

Surely 22/7 would be pi day.

Re:Wrong day

Sorry, 22/7 is only approximately pi day.

Re:Wrong day

Everyday is approximately pi day. Just some approximations are better than others.

Talk Like A Physicist Day

In addition to being Pi Day, today is Einstein's Birthday and Talk Like A Physicist Day [talklikeaphysicist.com]:

Never say "I didn't sleep enough" - the correct way to say it is "It was observed that my sleep duration was less than average." Or (In Plank units), "I have a sleep deficiency of about ten to the power 47, which is about half an hour."

Re:Talk Like A Physicist Day

(In Plank units)

Aren't plank units Board-Feet?

Pi-th Post!

Bask in its glory [1415926535...944592.com]!

Unknown value?

I would not say that it has an unknown value, the value is known as the ratio of a circle's diameter and circumference. Just because our system of representing numbers is flawed in that it cannot accurately define numeric sequences that approach infinity doesn't mean it is unknown... That is like saying 1/3 is unknown just because you can't print enough 3's after the decimal place to be accurate.

Silly boys.

-ellie

Re:Unknown value?

The value of pi can be precisely expressed as 1.0 (in base pi).

Re:Unknown value?

Don't you mean 10 (base pi)?

1.0 (base pi) is still 1 (base anything).

Re:Unknown value?

Pi = 3.141592653589793helpimtrappedinauniversefactory7108914 [xkcd.com]

What do you mean by unknown?

who's actual value will -- now and forever -- remain unknown

Pi's value is known totally precisely, it is just that an irrational number cannot be represented using the good ol' rational numbers or any x/y form of them, it only can be approximated. That is why it is called an irrational number! It doesn't make pi any less definite though.

Re:What do you mean by unknown?

Pi's value is known totally precisely

Indeed, pi is exactly (ln -1)/(sqrt -1).

Obligatory Portal reference

The Pi is a lie.

alternative representation in modular arithmetic

This schema fails if you continue to minutes and seconds:
March 14, 15:92:65

The proper representation is modular-place arithmetic. Instead of assuming each number chunk is either decimal or hundreds, you use the actual size of the place. The Calendar places are:
12 months
31 days
24 hours
60 minutes
60 seconds

So 3.14159265 is
3 months, remainder .14159265 months
4 days, remainder .3893706 days
9 hours, remainder .3448944 hours
20 minutes, remainder .693664 minutes
42 seconds, remainder .61984 seconds

In other words March 4 9:20:43

Remain unknown? What the fsck?

Pi is exactly equal to the sum of the infinite series 4 - 4/3 + 4/5 - 4/7 + 4/9 - 4/11...

rj

Pi Joke

What is the volume of a pizza of radius z and thickness a?

Answer: pi*z*z*a

Re:Happy pi day everyone!!

Screw Pi day, come on Steak-n-BJ Day!

Re:Happy pi day everyone!!

Screw Pi day, come on Steak-n-BJ Day!

I'm married, you insensitive clod!

Re:Happy pi day everyone!!

Screw Pi day, come on Steak-n-BJ Day!

I'm married, you insensitive clod!

Then I guess you are looking forward to chicken and masturbation day!

Re:Happy pi day everyone!!

"At least I got chicken."

(not what Leroy Jenkins actually said, but it's still the meme.)

Re:Happy pi day everyone!!

Sorry, but we missed Pi day by a longshot. Having Pi day on any old 3/14 lacks sufficient precision. Pi day was on March 14, 1592. Pi second would have been March 14, 1592 at 6:53 and 58 seconds in the morning. I'm sure they were partying like it was 1599 on that day.

m/dd/yyyy indeed?

In the universally preferred notation (except for those who take being non-conformist to absurd levels), you'll mean the year 3141, May 9th at 2:53.58am in the morning.

So we didn't miss it - but we will be missing it, as none of us are going to be living to be that old.

Then again, this is all based on the current calendar (arbitrary) and how you interpret the numbers (arbitrary) as well as the date/time notation (arbitrary, as pointed out above) ( the last two being related to eachother as there's no, say, 31st of april.)

Re:Happy pi day everyone!!

Tomorrow is the Ides of March, where I will pretend I'm well versed in Shakespeare.