Fairy tales      09.12.2021

What do I know about circles. The mysterious number Pi: ​​what is it and how to remember it. How to memorize information quickly and permanently

The number “pi” does not apply to round fools.
V. Shenderovich, honorary member of the Pi-Club.

A physicist from San Francisco named Larry Shaw noticed that according to the American calendar, the date March 14th coincides with the spelling of the mathematical number Pi (3.14 - month, date, Pi \u003d 3.14). It happened in 1987 and since then, on March 14, mathematicians consider happy pi day.

It is customary to celebrate this unusual holiday in a special way, food and drink are chosen with the name on "pi ..", various cakes and pies are baked with decoration in the form of the letter Pi or gingerbread of a similar shape. Do not forget about mental entertainment, various quizzes are held with names starting with "Pi ..".

Pi is a mathematical constant, and is nothing more than a ratio circumference of a circle to its own diameter. Pi=3.1415926….. has infinite value.

When people became interested in the ratio of the circumference to the diameter (and it was a very long time ago), they decided to consider it equal to three. However, later, with the development of architecture, the need arose for a more accurate measurement, and then the number Pi began to acquire a value that still exists today.

It is noteworthy that in different time clarification took place pi values, namely - among the Egyptians it was 3.1604, the Indians derived the value 3.162, the Greeks - 3.1428, the Chinese - 3.1459. With the advent of the computer, the meaning was constantly refined, and already in 1994 numbered 4 billion. 44 million signs.

Mathematicians annually try to unravel all the new mysteries associated with this mathematical constant. For this, there was even organized by Pi-Club where information is shared and new information is obtained. To join the club, you must pass a very good oral memorization test. a large number signs of pi.

There are little secrets to make it easier memorizing the signs of pi up to five, nine or more decimal places.

For example, remember a phrase in which each word consists of the number of letters equal to the digits of Pi after the decimal point, namely “I know and remember this perfectly” (this is 3, I am 1, etc., - 3.14159). Not difficult, right?

Or memorize the verse in which the signs of the number 3.1415926 sound:

You just need to try
And remember everything as it is:

Ninety-two and six.

To memorize thirteen characters after the decimal point of pi you need to memorize the verse more authentically:

So that we don't make mistakes
Must read correctly:
Three, fourteen, fifteen
Ninety-two and six.
Well, then you need to know
If we ask you -
It'll be five, three, five
And eight.

Some mnemonists set records for the number of memorized characters. To date, the record has been set by the Japanese Akira Haraguchi, who knows more than 83 thousand digits of Pi by heart. The Russian record was set by A. Belyaev, a resident of Chelyabinsk, who managed to remember 2.5 thousand characters in a month and a half.

Some hypotheses regarding Pi:

- there is an opinion that among Pi hidden all the information understood or not yet comprehended by mankind;

- It is believed that the Babylonian magicians used Pi during the construction of the Tower of Babel, however, due to the inaccurate value of the number, the tower collapsed over time;

- scientists claim that the number Pi was also used in the construction of the Temple of Solomon.

The greatest supporters of the Pi Club show their affection by writing poems and short stories, as for example Mike Keith in 1996 compiled a story from words that are equal to the first 3834 characters of Pi.

It's interesting that pi holiday noted on the birthday of the outstanding physicist A. Einstein, which allows physicists to join the celebration of mathematicians.

Schools, when we begin to study the circle and the circumference. The number π is a mathematical constant expressing the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the length of its diameter. The number does not depend on the diameter of the circle and is constant. Numerically, pi starts as 3.141592... and has an infinite mathematical duration. In everyday calculations, a simplified spelling of the number is used - 3.14.

Pi Day was first celebrated in 1988 at the popular science museum Exploratorium in San Francisco (San Francisco Exploratorium), and this unofficial holiday was invented a year earlier by San Francisco physicist Larry Shaw, who noticed that in the American system of writing dates (month /number) March 14 - 3/14 - coincides with the first digits of the number π.

Experts believe that this number was discovered by the Babylonian magicians. It was used in the construction of the famous Tower of Babel. However, insufficiently accurate calculation of the value of "Pi" led to the collapse of the entire project. Perhaps this mathematical constant underlay the construction of the legendary Temple of King Solomon.

One of the first references to the number Pi can be found in the texts of the Egyptian scribe Ahmes (circa 1650 BC). The ancient Greeks, who borrowed a lot from the Egyptians, contributed to the development of this mysterious quantity. According to legend, Archimedes was so engrossed in calculations that he did not notice how Roman soldiers took his hometown of Syracuse. When a Roman soldier approached him, Archimedes shouted in Greek, "Don't touch my circles!" In response, the soldier stabbed him with a sword.

Plato received a fairly accurate value of Pi for his time - 3.146. Ludolph van Zeilen spent most of his life calculating the first 36 decimal places of pi, and they were engraved on his tombstone after his death.

And yet, the date when International Pi Day is celebrated coincides with the birthday of Albert Einstein.

Scientists and lovers of mathematics are very fond of this holiday, celebrating it with a variety of physical, mathematical and culinary events. Cooking here comes in handy - large round cakes are usually baked, and the whole team sits around a "magic" circle (usually with a drawn "Pi" in the center), helping themselves and talking about the relativity of this unusual number.

So why remember this "Pi"? For students, this is part educational process. For adults - a great opportunity to train your memory and surprise your friends. There are several ways to remember the number "Pi".

The first is rhyme.

In order to remember the number Pi there is such a poem.

So that we don't make mistakes
Must read correctly:
Three, fourteen, fifteen
Ninety-two and six.
Well, then you need to know
If we ask you -
It'll be five, three, five
Eight, nine, eight.

(S. Bobrov "The Magic Bicorn")

The second is convenient structuring.

Let's divide what is written after the decimal point into the following groups: 3, (14 and 15) (926 - megaphone code) (535) (89 and 79) (32 and 38 for a total of seventy) (46 and 26) and so on. You can also select other groups, the main condition is that it should be easier for you to remember them. It is better to immediately stop at one option when structuring, otherwise confusion may arise that will prevent you from remembering the number.

The third way is the length of words in a phrase.

This method is not the most convenient for quickly reproducing the PI number. But it is very effective if you need to remember by any means. The essence of the approach is that each digit of Pi corresponds to the number of letters in each word included in these phrases:

What do I know about circles? (3.1415). So I know the number called Pi - Well done! (3.1415926 - rounded). Learn and know in the number known behind the number the number, how to notice good luck! (3.14159265359). (Ya. I. Perelman)

What methods do you know?

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A person first learns about the number Pi in mathematics lessons at school and then uses it very rarely throughout his life. Many people know that the number Pi is 3.14, but what numbers come next remains a mystery to many. There are many different techniques that will help you easily remember long numerical codes, for example, not only the number Pi, but also phone numbers, area codes, passwords, etc.

How to remember the number Pi?

Pi is a mathematical constant that represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the length of its diameter. People from all over the world set records for memorizing pi decimal places. For example, Ukrainian A. Slyusarchuk was able to memorize 30 million numbers. This stunning result, he achieved thanks to regular training. According to the record holder, each person has the opportunity to achieve the same results, if there is a desire.

Ways to remember the number Pi completely:

Method number 1– Convenient structuring. This memorization method is based on the division of the number Pi into certain groups that have some kind of dependence or are associated with something. Consider an example:

3, (14 and 15) (926 - Megafon operator code) (535) (89 and 79) (32 and 38 - the sum of these numbers is 70), etc.

Method number 2- The use of rhyme. There are many different verses that allow you to remember the number Pi, since rhyming lines are easier for the brain to digest than a numerical stream. Consider an example:

So that we don't make mistakes

Must read correctly:

Three, fourteen, fifteen

Ninety-two and six.

If we ask you -

It'll be five, three, five

Eight, nine, eight.

Method number 3- The length of the words in the phrase. Many experts consider this technique rather inconvenient, but at the same time it allows you to get the desired result. The essence of this method is based on the fact that each digit of the number Pi is equal to the number of letters in the words from which the sentence is formed. Consider examples:

Every year on March 14, enthusiastic mathematicians celebrate "Pi Day" because this date coincides with the first three digits of Pi (3.14 is a mathematical constant that represents the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter). This year's event is even more significant, as for the first time in a century, the date will represent the first five digits of Pi (3.14.15).

Pi is an irrational number, meaning it cannot be expressed as a fraction, and its decimal representation never repeats and never ends.

There are many ways to celebrate Pi Day, but its most ardent fans express their admiration by reciting tens of thousands of pi numbers from memory.

In 1981, a Hindu named Ryan Mahadevan read 31,811 digits of pi from memory. In 1989, the Japanese Hideaki Tomoyori broke his record by reading 40,000 digits. And in 2005, a new record was entered in the Guinness Book of Records, which went to the Chinese Lu Chao, he read 67890 digits of Pi.

It turns out that despite their impressive successes, most of these people do not have an extraordinary memory. It's just that they have mastered methods for associating strings of numbers with imaginary places or scenes.

memory palace

Experts at memorizing pi combinations often use a technique called "memory palace". This method has been used since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans. It consists of using spatial visualization to remember information such as numbers or lists of words.

Here's how it works: When you're in a familiar environment, like your home, you place pieces of information you want to remember in different places in the room. For example, the number "717" is in the corner by the front door, the number "919" is in the sink, and so on.

In order to remember the combinations of numbers in order, all you have to do is simply follow the same path you followed when you selected the "repositories" for information. This effective method allows you to remember huge amounts of information!

Anders Eriksson, a professor of psychology, studied people who set records in repeating the digits of pi to find out how they achieved such amazing results.

Like most other record holders, the Chinese Lu used visualization techniques. He labeled imaginary images with two-digit combinations of numbers ranging from "00" to "99" and then made up a story involving those images.

A few years ago, Ericsson decided to run an experiment with Lou and a group of people of the same age and education level. The scientist conducted a test that measured the "number series" of the members of the experiment. In other words, the test showed how well they could remember a sequence of random digits presented at a rate of one digit per second.

According to the study, Lu's score was slightly above average compared to the rest of the group. The results suggest that, unlike some other memory experts that have been studied, Lu's prowess at remembering long lists of numbers was not the result of an innate gift for encoding information. Rather, it was the result of years of practice.

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This is not to say that knowing the number pi with an accuracy greater than two decimal places is very useful. However, using the example of the number Pi, one can show how convenient it is to use some to remember abstract information consisting of only digits.

So, as methods for memorizing the number Pi, several options can be offered.

First way. Rhyme

In order to remember the number Pi there is such a poem.


So that we don't make mistakes
Must read correctly:
Three, fourteen, fifteen
Ninety-two and six.
Well, then you need to know
If we ask you -
It'll be five, three, five
Eight, nine, eight.

(S. Bobrov "The Magic Bicorn")

The second way. Convenient structuring

We divide what is written after the comma into the following groups:

3, (14 and 15) (926 - megaphone code) (535) (89 and 79) (32 and 38 for a total of seventy) (46 and 26) and so on

You can also select other groups, the main condition is that it should be easier for you to remember them. It is better to immediately stop at one option when structuring, otherwise confusion may arise that will prevent you from remembering the number.

The third way. Length of words in a phrase

This method is not the most convenient for quickly reproducing the PI number. But it is very effective if you need to remember by any means. The essence of the approach is that each digit of Pi corresponds to the number of letters in each word included in these phrases:

  • What do I know about circles? (3.1415)
  • So I know the number called Pi - Well done! (3.1415926 - rounded)
  • Learn and know in the number known behind the number the number, how to notice good luck! (3.14159265359)

(Ya. I. Perelman)

Thus, you can see that using it you can quickly learn a fairly long sequence of numbers, it can be a phone number, a postal code, an important date, or, as it was shown, a mathematical constant.