LEARN ABOUT PI

Pi () is the ratio of a circles circumference to its diameter Pi is a constant num!er" meanin#

that for all circles of an$ si%e" Pi &ill !e the same
The diameter of a circle is the distance from ed#e to ed#e" measurin# strai#ht throu#h the
center The circumference of a circle is the distance around
'I(TOR) O* PI
B$ measurin# circular o!+ects" it has al&a$s turned out that a circle is a little more than ,
times its &idth around In the Old Testament of the Bi!le (- .in#s /01,)" a circular 2ool is
referred to as !ein# ,3 cu!its around" and -3 cu!its across The mathematician Archimedes
used 2ol$#ons &ith man$ sides to a22ro4imate circles and determined that Pi &as
a22ro4imatel$ 115/ The s$m!ol (6ree7 letter 89) &as first used in -/3: !$ ;illiam <ones A
=2 &as chosen for =2erimeter of circles" and the use of !ecame 2o2ular after it &as
ado2ted !$ the (&iss mathematician Leonhard Euler in -/,/ In recent $ears" Pi has !een
calculated to o>er one trillion di#its 2ast its decimal Onl$ ,? di#its 2ast the decimal are
needed to accuratel$ calculate the s2herical >olume of our entire uni>erse" !ut !ecause of
Pis infinite @ 2atternless nature" its a fun challen#e to memori%e" and to com2utationall$
calculate more and more di#its
6EOAETR)
The num!er 2i is e4tremel$ useful &hen sol>in# #eometr$ 2ro!lems in>ol>in# circles 'ere
are some e4am2les0
The area of a circle
A B r2
;here =r is the radius (distance from the center to the ed#e of the circle) Also" this formula
is the ori#in of the +o7e 8Pies arent sCuare" the$re roundD9
The >olume of a c$linder
E B r2h
To find the >olume of a rectan#ular 2rism" $ou calculate len#th F &idth F hei#ht In that case"
len#th F &idth is the area of one side (the !ase)" &hich is then multi2lied !$ the hei#ht of the
2rism (imilarl$" to find the >olume of a c$linder" $ou calculate the area of the !ase (the area
of the circle)" then multi2l$ that !$ the hei#ht (h) of the c$linder