The first recorded Pi can be found in Babylon and Egypt, with a recorded value of 3.125. These values were off by a reasonable amount but were all that was necessary for building a geometrically accurate building as can be seen from the pyramids. The Greeks also had a stab at calculating the pi. Archimedes, who was the first to call this value pi, estimated a value of 3.1416. From here on, there have been numerous methods to calculate pi: using polygons, infinite series and the uses of modern computers and very complex algorithms.
Now the number of digits for pi number is into the trillions, 31.4 trillion to be exact. You can find anything in these digits, your phone number, interesting dates of history, and so much more. You can find any string of numbers in pi eventually – but we will leave that for the future to discover.
So, what are all these digits used for anyway? Let’s start with something simple: circles. Pi’s aim is to calculate the area and diameter of any object with any sort of circle. Any cylinder or sphere you run into in life was built using the properties of pi. And not just perfect circles, as a modification to basic maths can be used. This moves into the three-dimensional geometry, appearing in dynamics, astrophysics, and vectors. Pi also finds its place in angles. This is thanks to radians, an alternative way of measuring angles to degrees, based on the length of the radius.
We can relate this to trigonometric terms like sine and cosine. When plotted, wave-like graphs are produced. These pi values help measure waves, as the length and height are easier to calculate in terms of pi. And as waves are a fundamental part of physics – light, sound, complex quantum stuff – from here pi jumps into every aspect of physics and of maths.
Pi has always been a part of human history due to how essential a circle is in nature. When you think that we live on a large sphere, it’s no surprise the ratio between the radius and the length of the sides is fundamental to the modern world. But what makes Pi so interesting for most people is its infinite length and random number order, making it a fun task to learn off by heart. With the world record at 70,000 digits, it is insane to think people would have this much interest in a number – but there really is no number like pi. Well, there are but that’s a story for another time…