Today is March 14th. Something special happens at
1:59: we can write the date and time as
3/14/1:59
Does this sequence of numbers look familiar? Sure, because
3.14159 = π
which is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its
diameter. It is a ratio that is the same for every circle, but, being an irrational number, it cannot be expressed exactly as a common fraction. In other words, π essentially goes on forever.
Looking forward to a year from now, on March 14th
of 2015 at 26 minutes and 53 seconds after 9, we will be able to write the date and time as
3/14/15/9:26:53
which gives us the next four digits of
3.141592653 = π
Stay tuned for next year!
While I was pondering this, something reminded me about
another fun math exercise, one that is commonly known as the Monty Hall Problem. The goal of this was to choose the best strategy for playing the television game show "Let's Make a Deal," which was hosted by a fellow named Monty Hall. I
found a terrific explanation of the correct answer from Khan Academy.
Have a great weekend, and enjoy some
Love,
Rebecca
No comments:
Post a Comment