In the 21 st century, new equations have been discovered and are expected to continue to emerge.Īdding to the list of modern day mathematicians contributing to the centuries-old research history on Pi is Prof Chan, who came up with one of the world’s fastest equations to calculate the value of Pi. In 1987, brothers Jonathan and Peter Borwein came up with an even more precise formula which approached Pi very efficiently with 50 digits being generated with every new term added. The million-digit value of Pi was first computed in 1973 by mathematicians Jean Gilloud and Martin Bouyer.
First mathematician to calculate pi series#
Some milestones in the history of Pi in the 20 th century include Srinivasa Ramanujan being one of the first to discover multiple mathematical series which calculate Pi rapidly. Since then, there have been generations of mathematicians who have found more efficient methods to calculate this irrational number – and are still doing so. Formulas to calculate Pi discovered by Francois Viete and John Wallis in the 1500-1700s were some of the first formulas that derived Pi from infinite products, but these required the input of about 3000 terms in order to come close to an accuracy of two decimal places of Pi, making these formulas inefficient. Around 250BC, Greek mathematician Archimedes, was perhaps the first to be successful in determining accurately the first few values of Pi using polygons. However, few would know that mathematicians have been studying and discovering new ways to calculate Pi for centuries. To many, the mathematical constant Pi is commonly known as the fraction 22/7 used to solve problems involving circles.
First mathematician to calculate pi movie#
The unlikely occurrence of the equation in the movie eventually made it into a survey article on the history of Pi which Prof Chan co-authored in 2009 – a testament to the number theorist’s fascination with the mathematical constant and the variety of methods that can be used to calculate it.īeyond 22/7 – The constant that never gets old The equations were related to a groundbreaking formula to calculate Pi which was discovered in 1914 by world-renowned mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan.
That was when it was their turn to lose interest,” said Prof Chan with a laugh. I told my kids that, at that time, probably only less than 20 people in the world could prove that equation, and I was one of them. “I was watching the film with my kids, and was not very interested until this formula popped up. An important mathematical series for Pi had found its way into a classroom scene where main character Gabriella Montez points out to her teacher that an incorrect formula regarding Pi had been written on the blackboard. Yet NUS Department of Mathematics Professor Chan Heng Huat, who was watching the film with his two daughters, found a juggernaut of complex mathematics within the feel-good flick. Research inspiration can come from the most random of places, but the movie High School Musical seems like an unlikely source.
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