• The mathematical constant pi (π) is defined as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It is also the ratio between a circle's area and its radius squared. It is approximately equal to 3.14159, but has been calculated to over one trillion digits.Pi Day: Celebrate Pi Day! Google Video: The Story of Pi;
  • History

    Pi was approximated by the Babylonians over 4000 years ago. They measured it to be 3.125 according to a tablet dating back to approximately 1700 B.C.. An Egyptian papyrus document, dating back to 1650 BC, shows that the Egyptians used 3.1605 as the constant to calculate the area of circles. Ancient mathematician Archimedes calculated pi by using the Pythagorean Theorem. He judged it to be between 3 1/7 and 3 10/71.ExplOratorium: A Brief History of π

    Despite the long available knowledge of the constant, a universal symbol was not used to describe it until the 1700s. William Jones was the first to use the symbol "π" in 1706. Leonhard Euler began using the symbol in 1737 after which it became popularized.ExplOratorium: A Brief History of π

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