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• 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;

• Fast Facts

  1. First approximated by Babylonians earlier than 1680 B.C.ExplOratorium: A Brief History of π
  2. Measured by Babylonians to be 3.125ExplOratorium: A Brief History of π
  3. William Jones first used the pi symbol (π) in 1706Pi Day: Celebrate Pi Day!
  4. The use of the symbol was adopted by mathematician Leonhard Euler in 1737Pi Day: Celebrate Pi Day!
  5. Current calculations extend it to over one trillion digitsPi Day: Celebrate Pi Day!
  6. Pi Day is celebrated in the United States on March 14Pi Day: Celebrate Pi Day!
  7. 22/7 is often used as an approximation for piArcytech: Interesting Facts about Pi
  8. 355/113 is a closer approximation of piArcytech: Interesting Facts about Pi\
  9. March 14 designated as the official "Pi Day" by the House of Representatives in 2009

• 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

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Pi Facts | Digits Of Pi | Pi Day | Pi Jokes | Mathematics | Geometry

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