Pi

Locked
The Cat
Member
Member
Posts: 10046
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2000 1:00 am
Location: Yoshi\'s Island

Pi

#1

Post by The Cat » Fri Mar 26, 2004 11:27 pm

It's the number you use when you are trying to find the circumference of a circle (pi * d) or the area of a circle (pi * r^2). What I really want to know is...how did mathematicians determine this infinitely long irrational number and how does it correspond with the circle?

User avatar
AJ Middleton
Member
Member
Posts: 0
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 1969 8:00 pm

#2

Post by AJ Middleton » Sat Mar 27, 2004 12:20 am

Pi is the ratio of the diameter of a circle to it's circumference. If you were to take a diameter and wrap it around the outside of the circle, it would go around 3 times with a little extra. That extra is the .14159 yadda yadda yadda. Thus it makes sense that the formula for circumference is pi times the diameter.

Discovering pi requires complex geometry and calculus. Let's just leave it at that.

(BTW, "Infinitely long irrational number" is pretty redundant because, well, ALL irrational numbers are infinite.)

give me food
Member
Member
Posts: 10068
Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2001 2:00 am
Location: :O omfg ovar tehr3!!1
Contact:

#3

Post by give me food » Tue Mar 30, 2004 8:30 pm

Jesus Christ
<i>relax, we understand j00</i>

Locked