More than a hundred years ago, long before anyone imagined supercomputers or black hole simulations, legendary Indian ...

Most of us first hear about the irrational number π (pi)—rounded off as 3.14, with an infinite number of decimal digits—in ...

Katie has a PhD in maths, specializing in the intersection of dynamical systems and number theory. She reports on topics from maths and history to society and animals. Katie has a PhD in maths, ...

In 1914, Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan made public a collection of 17 mathematical expressions for calculating pi, an iconic constant used worldwide. These formulations, compact yet highly ...

Science often isn’t a bold “Eureka!,” a shout that that is loudly proclaimed after decades of painstaking research. Rather, many times, it begins with a “Huh, that’s funny,” and it ends someplace ...

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science have reported that they have accidentally discovered a new way to express pi (pi) while studying the behavior of high-energy particles. The new formula ...

While most people associate the mathematical constant π (pi) with arcs and circles, mathematicians are accustomed to seeing it in a variety of fields. But two University of Rochester scientists were ...

It is once again Pi Day (March 14—which is like the first digits of pi: 3 and 14). Before getting into this year's celebration of pi, let me just summarize some of the most important things about this ...

This whole series of posts was motivated by a question from a former student of mine: whenever someone announces they've computed a bunch of digits of π, how do we know it's correct? As I pointed out ...

Math teacher Marcus Hung squinted in mock concentration. "3.1415," he said before pausing dramatically and then smiling. "That's about it." Reciting the digits of the irrational number pi is not his ...