Posted on 06/28/2011 7:09:39 PM PDT by decimon
The mathematical constant pi is under threat from a group of detractors who will be marking "Tau Day" on Tuesday.
Tau Day revellers suggest a constant called tau should take its place: twice as large as pi, or about 6.28 - hence the 28 June celebration.
Tau proponents say that for many problems in maths, tau makes more sense and makes calculations easier.
Not all fans of maths agree, however, and pi's rich history means it will be a difficult number to unseat.
"I like to describe myself as the world's leading anti-pi propagandist," said Michael Hartl, an educator and former theoretical physicist.
"When I say pi is wrong, it doesn't have any flaws in its definition - it is what you think it is, a ratio of circumference to diameter. But circles are not about diameters, they're about radii; circles are the set of all the points a given distance - a radius - from the centre," Dr Hartl explained to BBC News.
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"What's amazing is the 'conversion experience': people find themselves almost violently angry at pi. They feel like they've been lied to their whole lives, so it's amazing how many people express their displeasure with pi in the strongest possible terms - often involving profanity.
"I don't condone any actual violence - that would be really bizarre, wouldn't it?"
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
I must admit the logic of that pic is impeccable.
I heard he was integral with Leibniz.
What's next? A movement to have us use British spelling?
This guy’s big tau campaign is pi in the sky
My 11-yr-old said the same thing. She has much more area in her algebra than she is happy with.
You are her new hero.
The tablet was off my mind before I reached the bottom of the article.
Ridiculous; they should just throw in the Tau.
"But Uncle Jed, Everyone knows pi aren't square, Pie are round!" (Jethro Bodine)
Yep. Lied to all these years...
Don’t like pi? Let them eat cake!!
Did anyone actually read the article?
IMO this is another euro communist plot to replace degrees w/ radians.
"I like to describe myself as the world's leading anti-pi propagandist," said Michael Hartl, an educator and former theoretical physicist.I can see the "former" part of that. :') Thanks decimon.
That is hilarious!!! ROFLOL
And by the way, no two vertical lines are parallel.
Nerds Gone Wild!
So he claimed. What we know for certain is that he never married. This was the standard in his day for college instructors. The job was too difficult and time consuming to allow for the responsibilities of raising a family.
It may be true that he was celibate, in the sense of abstaining from all sexual intercourse. That might explain his incredible powers of concentration and keen intellect.
2 Pi, R not 2 Pi. That is the question.
How can you tell an introverted mathematician from an extroverted one?
An introverted mathematician looks at his shoes when you talk to him and an extroverted one looks at other peoples’ shoes.
I calculate my age in hexadecimal. :D
Reminds me of a Feynman story. 4pi appears as a constant in many equations of electromagnetics because the area of a sphere is 4pi r2. Feynman was writing some equations on a blackboard during a lecture and a student raised his hand and pointed out, “You forgot the 4pi.” “F*** the 4pi!” replied Feynman.
Don’t know if this makes part of the anti-pi corwd.
The yield of 1 obamadon can destroy the entire United States. Think of the children, man!
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