Post your method of calculating pi.

[notfred]

I wrote a little script to calculate pi based on the series (-1)^(n+1) * (1/(2n-1)).
It does the first million iterations, and is fairly accurate, I get: 3.14159165358977

here's the script:
#!/usr/bin/perl -w
$pi = 0;
for($n = 1; $n <= 1000000; $n++){
$pi += (-1)**($n+1) * (1/(2 * $n - 1));
}
$pi *= 4;
print "$pi\n";

I'm sure there are more effecient ways than that, and there are those calcultors on line that can jsut keep spitting out pi to as many places as you like.

Anyone got any good pi computations?

 

[edro]

I hit the PI key on my TI-89 and it does a farely good job of calculating it 😀

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: Tyler
is fairly accurate

um, is that like fairly pregnant?

isn't a number either pi or not?

how can it only be "fairly" accurate, it either calculates pi or it doesn't?

😕

 

[blackdogdeek]

what's the -w flag?

 

[jbahseng]

Originally posted by: Tyler
I wrote a little script to calculate pi based on the series (-1)^(n+1) * (1/2n-1).
It does the first million iterations, and is fairly accurate, I get: 3.14159165358977

Shouldn't it be 3.1415926535....?

 

[Mucman]

Originally posted by: blackdogdeek
what's the -w flag?

displays warnings

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Ingredients
- 6 cups thinly sliced apples
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie

Directions
- Prepare your pastry for a two crust pie. Wipe, quarter, core, peel, and slice apples; measure to 6 cups.
- Combine sugar and cinnamon. The amount of sugar used depends on how tart your apples are.
- Arrange apples in layers in pastry lined pie plate. Sprinkle each layer with sugar and cinnamon. Dot top layer with small pieces of butter or margarine. Cover with top crust.
- Place on lowest rack in oven preheated to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer. Serve warm or cold.

That's how I calculate pie.

- M4H

 

[Hammer]

Originally posted by: edro13
I hit the PI key on my TI-89 and it does a farely good job of calculating it 😀

except its a TI-83 😛

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: edro13
I hit the PI key on my TI-89 and it does a farely good job of calculating it 😀

I did that in high school. I've never had to use it since then, so i don't calculate Pi

 

[AvesPKS]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: Tyler
is fairly accurate

um, is that like fairly pregnant?

isn't a number either pi or not?

how can it only be "fairly" accurate, it either calculates pi or it doesn't?

😕

Unless you've got an infinite amount of time, all you can do is approximate Pi. I always go for 22/7.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: Tyler
is fairly accurate

um, is that like fairly pregnant?

isn't a number either pi or not?

how can it only be "fairly" accurate, it either calculates pi or it doesn't?

😕

It's an infinite series. The farther out I go, the closer I get to pi. You don't expect me to do an infinite number of calculations, do you? I did 1 million, which, IMO, is fairly accurate.

-w enables warnings.

 

[neovan]

22/7 by hand.

 

[TheBoyBlunder]

Find my calculator. Turn it on. Hit 2nd, then Pi. Round down if needed. 😀

 

[Electric Amish]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: Tyler
is fairly accurate

um, is that like fairly pregnant?

isn't a number either pi or not?

how can it only be "fairly" accurate, it either calculates pi or it doesn't?

😕

The number "pi" can never be completely accruate since it doesn't end...as far as anyone's found. Therefore you're always using a "fairly" accurate representation of it.

amish

 

[Viper GTS]

I actually did a paper on methods of calculating pi (was assigned in a calculus class).

I don't recall the specifics of the generally accepted standard (at least at that time), but it got complex VERY quickly. After only three iterations it became too complicated to easily fit on one page, & to obtain any decent level of accuracy you had to do it 30+ times.

For my purposes SuperPi works great.

😀

Viper GTS

 

[JetBlack69]

I take the circumference and divide it by the radius. 🙂

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: Tyler

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: Tyler
is fairly accurate

um, is that like fairly pregnant?

isn't a number either pi or not?

how can it only be "fairly" accurate, it either calculates pi or it doesn't?

😕

It's an infinite series. The farther out I go, the closer I get to pi. You don't expect me to do an infinite number of calculations, do you? I did 1 million, which, IMO, is fairly accurate.

-w enables warnings.

oh, you mean it is accurate as far as you have gone, ok , i get it
i thought you meant some early digits might be off, nevermind

 

[StageLeft]

If pie = "apple" then eat

 

[WhiteKnight]

I believe that 4arctan(1) works, or something like that...

 

[Haircut]

You can use:

PI = 24 arctan(1/8) + 8 arctan(1/57) + 4 arctan(1/239)

where arctan(x) = x - x^3/3 + x^5/5 - x^7/7 + ...

This will converge much faster.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
If pie = "apple" then eat

Ah, a fan of my method? 😀

- M4H

 

[thawolfman]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
If pie = "apple" then eat

Sounds about right! 😀

Otherwise, who cares?! 😕

 

[theNEOone]

this wins "Anandtech Dorkiest Thread of the Year" award

 

[dethman]

PI IS EXACTLY THREE!!!!!

 

[Dark4ng3l]

Originally posted by: dethman
PI IS EXACTLY THREE!!!!!

Uh? mmmmm NO!