Still Waters Posted October 25, 2011 #1 Share Posted October 25, 2011 A pair of pi enthusiasts have calculated the largest chunk of the mathematical constant yet, reaching just over 10 trillion digits. Alexander Yee and Shigeru Kondo, respectively a computer scientist in the US and a systems engineer in Japan, fought hard-drive failures and narrowly missed widespread technical disruptions due to the Japan earthquake to break their previous Guinness world record of 5 trillion digits.As the title of the announcement on their website - "Same program, same computer, just a longer wait..." - suggests, it was only a matter of time before the record was smashed. Indeed, calculating so many digits of pi serves no useful mathematical purposes - pi goes on forever, but just 39 digits are enough to calculate the circumference of a circle the size of the observable universe with an error no larger than the radius of a hydrogen atom. Yet, as demonstrated by Yee and Kondo's recent epic quest - which was particularly fraught this time around - the feat still sparks intense passion, a testament to the enduring fascination with this curious ratio. Read more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27vet Posted October 28, 2011 #2 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Chuck Norris can calculate it to infinity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Fluffs Posted October 28, 2011 #3 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Indeed, Chuck Norris can calculate it to infinity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dreamer - Hybrid89 Posted October 28, 2011 #4 Share Posted October 28, 2011 nice :S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmpleFyre Posted October 28, 2011 #5 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I believe it's time for a celebration. Science has yet again achieved redundancy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verneph Posted October 28, 2011 #6 Share Posted October 28, 2011 ...pi enthusiasts... These exist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draconis Posted October 28, 2011 #7 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Is it really necessary to calculate it to ten trillion digits?? Cant they just be happy with 3.14?? Or why not just make it 3.15? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xYlvax Posted October 29, 2011 #8 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I agree completely with you, Draconis. Why don't they do something more creative with their time? Or are they too smart?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soldier4death Posted October 29, 2011 #9 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I'm not a pi enthusiast, does pi ever start showing a pattern, or is it complete randomness even up to ten trillion digits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Four Winds Posted October 29, 2011 #10 Share Posted October 29, 2011 randomness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fluffybunny Posted October 29, 2011 #11 Share Posted October 29, 2011 This seems like quite a massive waste of time and effort. What exactly are we going to really get out of this? if the ten trillionth digit through the ten trillionth and tenth digit end up being 3.14 <ten trillion digits> 12345678910.... Would that change anything? Focus on something that will make a difference in the world... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xScorpinix Posted October 30, 2011 #12 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I totally agree with what everyone's been saying, there's really no benefit to the world with this discovery, I'm not going to be using a trillion digits to help me with my division. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashyne Posted October 30, 2011 #13 Share Posted October 30, 2011 this is what nerds do when they're bored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JesseCuster Posted October 30, 2011 #14 Share Posted October 30, 2011 What's with the negativity? It's a couple of guys doing something pointless but awesome. Far more computer power and time is "wasted" on video games or watching cats play the piano on YouTube. Lighten up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
27vet Posted October 30, 2011 #15 Share Posted October 30, 2011 What about the square root of two and three? They forgot those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jajusha Posted October 30, 2011 #16 Share Posted October 30, 2011 PI is used in some cryptography cyphers (or parts of PI), so, it's not a complete waste. Also, if i'm not mistaken, isn't it possible for, say, on the 10 trillion and 1st digit Pi might just start repeating itself. A finding like that would have huge implications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NuclearImplosion Posted October 31, 2011 #17 Share Posted October 31, 2011 10 months and drying laundry in the room to make this calculation? Really? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now