The em_PI_re Strikes Back!

[mynameisben]

Yes geeks, it's back. Pi Day, the sequel! For the number nerds among us who suffer from dynamically distended digitalia it's time once again to enjoy our just desserts, approximately.

I hope you’re ready for your big Pi Approximation Day party [today]. You might have observed Pi Day on March 14. It gets its name from 3.14, the first three digits of the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Always on the lookout for excuses to eat pie, some geeky math types also celebrate the number on July 22. The fraction 22⁄7 has a value of 3.142857, so it has the same first three digits as pi.

Both 3.14 and 22⁄7 are approximations of pi, so the two days deserve the same title. In fact, 22⁄7 is closer to pi than 3.14 is. So if you’re an aspiring pedant, you can choose to celebrate July 22 as Pi Day and March 14 as Not Quite as Close to Pi Day. (Either way, you’ll enjoy more pie.) But what does it mean to be an approximation of pi—and why does it matter?

You can read the full story here

 

[Handley_Page]

How strange.
I got thoroughly confused when I was first introduced to the MM-DD-YY date structure (I still have trouble unless I'm careful).
We in the UK usually put the day before the month, (DD-MM-YY) so 22/7 is what we'd write as routine. It is apparently more accurate.

When I was at school, many moons ago, I recall our Maths teacher muttering something about 221/70 or some such.
Anyone know if he was joking ?

 

[mynameisben]

How strange.
I got thoroughly confused when I was first introduced to the MM-DD-YY date structure (I still have trouble unless I'm careful).
We in the UK usually put the day before the month, (DD-MM-YY) so 22/7 is what we'd write as routine. It is apparently more accurate.

When I was at school, many moons ago, I recall our Maths teacher muttering something about 221/70 or some such.
Anyone know if he was joking ?

Since the story is coming from Scientific American, and we Americans do not embrace the DD-MM format, the story is admittedly a bit of a stretch. But in the spirit of the article, if a geeky celebrant were to come over and offer me a slice of her pie, I'd happily accept it.

There are better fractional approximations for pi than 22/7, but 221/70 is not one of them.

 

[lovecraft68]

Whoa, this shit is too wild for me, I'll step back and let you crazy kids handle this one! I don't want to get hit by a pocket protector!

 

[kimbalee]

Any occasion to have more pie is always better, right?

Since there are now twice as many Pi Days, the world is sure to be a better place.

 

[HarryHill]

What's a few decimal points between friends?

 

[Harry Leg]

5 out of 4 people have trouble with fractions.

 

[mynameisben]

What's a few decimal points between friends?

0.0185 inches of latex between the very best of friends.

 

[mynameisben]

5 out of 4 people have trouble with fractions.

Sure, but what about the other two?

 

[TxRad]

Sure, but what about the other two?

Who do you think stretches the latex?

 

[glynndah]

There's a bank around here called the Fifth Third bank. It's known as the Improper Fraction bank. If they can't even get an easy fraction into its simplest form, there's no way I'd trust it with my money.

Of course that doesn't explain that pesky missing possessive apostrophe in my bank.

 

[TE999]

Math teacher: "Therefore, Pi r square."

Slow student: "No it ain't. Pie are round, cornbread are square."