Swiss Scientists Calculate Pi To A Record-Breaking 62.8 Trillion Decimals!
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Even those that do not particularly care for math will agree that pi, or “π," is fascinating. The numerical constant — defined as the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter— is recognized by most as 3.14. However, Pi is an irrational number. This means it can't be written as a fraction. Instead, it is infinitely long and never forms a repeating pattern. While individuals attempt to break records by memorizing pi's decimal points, scientists strive to find its most accurate value using new algorithms and powerful computers.
On August 5, 2021, researchers from the University of Applied Sciences of the Grisons in Switzerland announced that they had set a new world record by calculating the famous number to its first 62.8 trillion decimal places! This is over 12 trillion more decimal places than the current record of 50 trillion set by Timothy Mullican in 2020. It is twice the previous record of 31.4 trillion set by Google in 2019.
Knowing more digits of pi isn't particularly important for mathematics . However, calculating pi values at a faster and most exact rate is crucial for research advancement. Perfecting the computation of the irrational number helps create computer software that works faster and more efficiently, benefitting fields from weather forecasting to COVID-19 data modeling.
The Swiss team's pi computation, which took 108 days and nine hours, was about 3.5 times faster than the eight months it took Mullican. The increase in supercomputing performance in just 18 months is even more impressive given that it had an additional 12 trillion decimal places.
The Swiss scientists have no plans to calculate pi’s infinite digits any further. However, they fully expect other scientists to surpass their record within a short time. Team leader Thomas Keller says, "Looking at the previous pace of record-setting, I anticipate the next successful record-breaking attempt any time in the space of the next two years."
Resources: thenextweb.com,newatlas.com,livescience.com
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78 Comments
- iheartpuppiesabout 2 yearsWow! That's just crazy!
- karatehedgehog4over 2 yearsPi goes on forever without repeating!!
- da_frogalmost 3 yearscool
- liv_2021almost 3 yearsAm I wrong to say that it’s a waste of time doing that because the true digit of pi is 22/7 or 3 1/7
- iheartpuppiesabout 2 yearsPi is not a fraction, so not trying to be rude, but yes you are wrong.
- mermaidloverjckalmost 3 yearsThe true number of pi is infinite, not 22/7 or 3.14 or 3 1/7. Those are only estimates, this is the closest humans have ever gotten to the true number of pi.
- skyward_flightalmost 3 yearsWoah what the heck!
- ilovanimalsalmost 3 yearsSheesh I don’t wanna do that lol
- bigfoot2almost 3 yearsI like pi, because it goes on forever. Its mind-boggling. Pls follow me if you agree.
- ciaalmost 3 yearsWOW. I wish I were that smart
- bigfoot2almost 3 yearsI didn't know that the first 10 digits ofpi were figuered out in 2000 BC. That is so long ago; I can't rap my mind around it. :D
- bigfoot2almost 3 yearsThis seems like a big competition to figure out the most numbers of pi.