Hidden in π

Learn

The nerd corner

Further reading, for people who read the footnotes first.

  • How it worksHow Hidden in π finds any number in 100 billion digits of π in one read: a lookup table of first positions, explained with chalk.
  • Is every number really in π?The honest answer: nobody has proved that every number is in π, but its digits behave like random ones, so 99.995% of ten-digit numbers turn up in the first 100 billion.
  • A short history of computing πFrom Archimedes' polygons to 314 trillion digits: how people have chased the decimals of π for more than two thousand years.
  • Pi DayPi Day is 14 March: a countdown, where the day comes from, other π-shaped dates and classroom activities for teachers.
  • π notesShort reads about π: the search, the Feynman point, Pi Day ideas and the maths of name fights.
  • Life of PiThe boy who chalked π on the blackboard to claim his name: Yann Martel's novel and Ang Lee's film, no spoilers.
  • Weird SequencesSix 9s in a row, 123456789 and other odd patterns, and where they first turn up.
  • Is my name in π?About 2,000 popular first names spelled on a phone keypad, and where each one first turns up.
  • Is your birthday in π?Every day of the year, month by month, and where each one first turns up, with or without the year.
  • The Pi LeagueClubs, countries and cities, ranked by who turns up first in π.
  • How the idea startedA thank-you note to The Rest Is Science, where this whole site began.
Change the board