So, this means, if somehow, we are able to figure out this set of instructions that generate the precise value of if it is computed an infinite number of times, then the computer can do the entire calculation by itself. This means that if we are to calculate the value of using a computer, it will have to follow a set of instructions an infinite number of times, since the digits of go on forever. Of course, it wouldn’t be able to stop on its own, since it does not have the ability to make that decision.Īlso, remember that is a number with infinite decimal places. And it follows these sets of instructions until we tell it to stop. It works according to a set of instructions or steps that we feed into it. And a machine doesn’t make decisions on its own as we do. ![]() A number of books use the fraction 22/7 as the value of, yet even that is simply an approximation (in fact, 22/7 is closer to the actual value of than 3.14 is).Ĭomputers basically work on algorithms. However, even today, when we have calculated about 2.7 trillion digits of, we are nowhere close to the precise value. Since then, many approximations have been made about the value of this number. The method of measurements used above is how Babylonians and Greeks discovered it thousands of years ago. So, Circumference/Diameter = (2 r) / (2 r) = Circumference and diameter of circle (Photo Credit : Morphart Creation/Shutterstock) You will also observe that the division is never-ending. Now, if you divide the value of circumference by the diameter, you will probably get the quotient as 3.1415… (approx.). Measure its diameter using a scale and its circumference using a string. Let’s say you have a circle (if not, just construct one). 22/7 is simply an approximation for, and will only give an accurate value till two decimal places ( = 3.14159265……. He had memorized the value of up to hundreds of digits (see, now that is impressive). He wasn’t just dividing 22 by 7 in his head. I could have done that!”īut as I grew older, I realized how wrong I was. You just keep dividing 22 by 7 in your head. I remember thinking every time I saw it, “So he wrote hundreds of digits of on the board, that’s easy. It’s the part where Piscine Patel tries and succeeds, to establish the short form of his name to ‘Pi’. Back then, there was a scene in the film that puzzled me every time. The movie ‘Life of Pi’ was released in 2012.
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