Do you need to remember Pi: Computers have been able to compute Pi to thousands of digits, but we mortals need other means to remember them. So born was the Field of Piphilology which...

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

Computers have been able to compute Pi to thousands of digits, but we mortals need other means to remember them. So born was the Field of Piphilology which offers numerous memes to aide us. One such is:
“May I have a large container of coffee, cream and sugar?”

(stolen from Wikipedia)

RichJ207 Loc: Sammamish, WA

Sir, I have a rhyme excelling in mystic power and magic spelling...

chrisscholbe Loc: Kansas City, MO

John_F wrote:

Computers have been able to compute Pi to thousands of digits, but we mortals need other means to remember them. So born was the Field of Piphilology which offers numerous memes to aide us. One such is:
“May I have a large container of coffee, cream and sugar?”

(stolen from Wikipedia)

(Download)

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

John_F wrote:

Computers have been able to compute Pi to thousands of digits, but we mortals need other means to remember them. So born was the Field of Piphilology which offers numerous memes to aide us. One such is:
“May I have a large container of coffee, cream and sugar?”

(stolen from Wikipedia)

https://www.mnemonic-device.com/arithmetic/pi/may-i-have-a-large-container-of-coffee/

kakima

How I want a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics.

TheShoe Loc: Lacey, WA

When I was a freshman at the university the professor teaching one of the math classes said that he had a strict rule. Whenever pi was included in an answer the student could either use the Greek letter, the two letters "pi" or if a number must be used, the only acceptable value was - at this point he went to the chalkboard at the front of the room and started writing the digits of pi until his approximation for pi completely encircled the room twice. Some of the students thought he was kidding and substituted 3.14 for pi in their first assignment. They found out the hard way when they received 0 points and a grade of F on the assignment.

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

Although I know the value of Pi to 8 places, while in Engineering studies (and using a slide rule--I'm that old) I learned an approximation easily suited to that device--it's the fraction 355/113. It is accurate to 6 places, which is usually sufficient for most purposes.

DickC Loc: NE Washington state

I remember it being 3.1416, and at 80 years old, I've never used it!!

GeorgeH Loc: Jonesboro, GA

David in Dallas wrote:

Although I know the value of Pi to 8 places, while in Engineering studies (and using a slide rule--I'm that old) I learned an approximation easily suited to that device--it's the fraction 355/113. It is accurate to 6 places, which is usually sufficient for most purposes.

I like your approximation! Much better than the one that some state legislature in its finite wisdom, decreed that in the school system pi was henceforth 22/7. Actually that's not a bad approximation for quick and dirty calculations. 22/7 = 3.1428571

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

Yep. 355/113 = 3.141592920353982... and Pi to that precision is 3.141592653589793... . The difference is in the 7th decimal place (and both round to 3.141593 for 6 places).

It is rumored that some time back in the mid 1900s one of the Southern States decreed that Pi = 3.0 and all the wheels in that state immediately became hexagonal in shape. ;)