High school student recites 8,784 digits of pi

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the achievement of a high school student who recited 8,784 digits of pi. Participants explore the implications of this feat in terms of mathematical ability versus memorization skills, as well as the cultural context surrounding such accomplishments.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants question whether reciting digits of pi constitutes a mathematical feat, arguing that it is primarily an act of memorization rather than mathematical skill.
  • Others suggest that a person could possess both excellent memorization skills and strong mathematical abilities, leaving the relationship between the two open to interpretation.
  • A few participants express skepticism about the value of memorizing digits of pi, suggesting that it could be a waste of memory that could be better utilized for more practical knowledge.
  • Some comments reflect on the cultural aspects of memorization contests, with references to competition among students from different backgrounds.
  • There are humorous remarks about the social implications of having such a skill, with some participants joking about the potential for social isolation despite the impressive memory.
  • Several participants share personal anecdotes related to memorization in educational settings, highlighting varied experiences and attitudes towards memorization tasks.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the significance of the achievement, with some viewing it as a notable skill and others dismissing it as non-mathematical. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of memorization versus mathematical ability.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express frustration with the media's portrayal of numerical feats as inherently mathematical, indicating a potential disconnect between public perception and academic definitions of mathematics.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in the intersection of memorization, mathematics, and cultural perceptions of academic achievements may find this discussion relevant.

Evo
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I don't get it "But his mathematical feat won the praise of others, including the math and computer science teacher who got Gaurav interested in it."

Why is this considered a "mathematical feat"? He's not actually doing any math. I admit it's an awesome bit of memorization and recitation, but come on, he's not actually doing any math, he's reciting a string of numbers.

So does this make him a great mathematician or someone with great memorization skills that could suck at math?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11858760/
 
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Evo said:
So does this make him a great mathematician or someone with great memorization skills that could suck at math?

He could also have memorization skills and be awesome at math. This feat is certainly not a demonstration of mathematical ability.


ps. https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=114477 don't GD regulars ever visit the maths forum:-p
 
shmoe said:
He could also have memorization skills and be awesome at math. This feat is certainly not a demonstration of mathematical ability.


ps. https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=114477 don't GD regulars ever visit the maths forum:-p
Heavens no, math is hard. :-p Besides, GD is a different world.

So, Russ beat me to it.
 
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It's good for russ that he's a mentor...or else I don't think he would ever post here again :
 
Hey look I've memorized 62 digits! Even better, they're 62 useful digits!

\begin{align}h &amp;= 6.6261 \times 10^{-34} \, J \cdot s \notag \\<br /> \hbar &amp;= 1.0546 \times 10^{-34}\, J\cdot s\notag \\<br /> c &amp;= 2.9979 \times 10^8 \,m/s\notag \\<br /> G &amp;= 6.674 \times 10^{-11} \,m^3/(kg\cdot s^2)\notag\\<br /> k_B &amp;= 1.3807 \times 10^{-23} \,J/K\notag\\<br /> N_A &amp;= 6.0221 \times 10^{23} \notag\\<br /> 1/ \alpha &amp;= 137.036 \notag \\<br /> \epsilon_0 &amp;= 8.8542 \times 10^{-12}\, F/m \notag\\<br /> \mu_0 &amp;\equiv 4 \pi \times 10^{-7} \,N/A^2\notag\\<br /> -q_e &amp;=1.6022 \times 10^{-19}\, C\notag \end{align}

Of course, you could take the easy way out and just know 62 useless digits of pi...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Me and Evo are thinking alike :smile:
 
rachmaninoff said:
Hey look I've memorized 62 digits! Even better, they're 62 useful digits!

\begin{align}h &amp;= 6.6261 \times 10^{-34} \, J \cdot s \notag \\<br /> \hbar &amp;= 1.0546 \times 10^{-34}\, J\cdot s\notag \\<br /> c &amp;= 2.9979 \times 10^8 \,m/s\notag \\<br /> G &amp;= 6.674 \times 10^{-11} \,m^3/(kg\cdot s^2)\notag\\<br /> k_B &amp;= 1.3807 \times 10^{-23} \,J/K\notag\\<br /> N_A &amp;= 6.0221 \times 10^{23} \notag\\<br /> 1/ \alpha &amp;= 137.036 \notag \\<br /> \epsilon_0 &amp;= 8.8542 \times 10^{-12}\, F/m \notag\\<br /> \mu_0 &amp;\equiv 4 \pi \times 10^{-7} \,N/A^2\notag\\<br /> -q_e &amp;=1.6022 \times 10^{-19}\, C\notag \end{align}

Of course, you could take the easy way out and just know 62 useless digits of pi...

Exactly my thoughts.
 
High school student recites 8,784 digits of pi.

A bit like counting the grains of sand on beach.

I'd rather drink beer and play frisbee or go surfing. :cool: :biggrin:
 
  • #10
Evo said:
So does this make him a great mathematician or someone with great memorization skills that could suck at math?
The question is: was the kid somehow calculating as he went along, or was this "mere" memorization, meaning a completely non-mathematical feat? In the latter case the achievement is a prodigious, but non-mathematical one, and it would be pretty dull-witted to ascribe great math skills to the person who did it.
 
  • #11
Evo said:
I don't get it "But his mathematical feat won the praise of others, including the math and computer science teacher who got Gaurav interested in it."

Why is this considered a "mathematical feat"? He's not actually doing any math. I admit it's an awesome bit of memorization and recitation, but come on, he's not actually doing any math, he's reciting a string of numbers.

So does this make him a great mathematician or someone with great memorization skills that could suck at math?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11858760/
Geez, what's wrong with you folks. I would think he would get invited to scads of parties with a skill like this.

But then, maybe not. Being good at counting on my fingers and toes hasn't gotten me invited to very many parties. :frown:
 
  • #12
Arg, these indian kids are taking over the spelling bee's and number memorizing contests. What ever happen to the asian kids!? Oh the humanity!
 
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  • #13
cyrusabdollahi said:
Arg, this indian kids are taking over the spelling bee's and number memorizing contests. What ever happen to the asian kids!? Oh the humanity!

Indians are Asians as well :wink:

-Did you mean East Asian / Oriental ?
 
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  • #14
BobG said:
Geez, what's wrong with you folks. I would think he would get invited to scads of parties with a skill like this.
:smile: Maybe he started memorizing it while sitting home alone bored because he wasn't invited to any parties?
 
  • #15
You know what I meant wise guy.
 
  • #16
Very good memory can actually be a handicap, it's not accidental that most people don't have that good a memory, I'm fine with my 16 bytes of RAM thank you very much. :smile:
 
  • #17
16 BYTES of RAM? you couldn't boil a cup of tea on that! (irrelevant...?)

I had a friend who memorised the periodic table, I wasn't in awe. I just wanted to hurt him.
 
  • #18
Something tells me he needs a girlfriend or a p**** video.

There has to be something better to do with your time.
 
  • #19
It wasn't an act of world peace, and it wasn't curing cancer. If it has to do with numbers, it must be math.
 
  • #20
DaveC426913 said:
It wasn't an act of world peace, and it wasn't curing cancer. If it has to do with numbers, it must be math.
Actually it has to do with memorization.
 
  • #21
Evo said:
Actually it has to do with memorization.
Ye-e-e-e-s. I was being sarcastic. (Oops. Forgot my smileys.)

The mentality of mainstream news such as MSNBC: "if it's numbers, it's math".
 
  • #22
DaveC426913 said:
Ye-e-e-e-s. I was being sarcastic. (Oops. Forgot my smileys.)

The mentality of mainstream news such as MSNBC: "if it's numbers, it's math".
You know, you can be banned for forgetting to use smilies in GD. :-p
 
  • #23
jimmy p said:
I had a friend who memorised the periodic table, I wasn't in awe. I just wanted to hurt him.
That's not hard, I had all the molecular weights memorized along with it o:)
 
  • #24
Monique said:
That's not hard, I had all the molecular weights memorized along with it o:)

In school, one of my chemistry teachers told the class to memorize the periodic table. Each class, he would randomly pick some students and ask them to recite from element X to element Y. I never was able to memorize it... So I just made a chart and pasted it to the wall. He never knew.
 
  • #25
Great at math, great memory, who knows... He still did something I never will out of sheer lack of interest... Not to mention that pesky little memory problem I have.:rolleyes:
 
  • #26
Memory is extremely important, but to waste it on such meaningless information as the digits of Pi is simply, in my ever-so-humble opinion, stupid. He could do anything else with his memory and he did that! What about memorizing formulas, rules of grammar, passages from books you read, or anythign that is relevant to your life! What a waste, what a sheer waste!
 
  • #27
siddharth said:
In school, one of my chemistry teachers told the class to memorize the periodic table. Each class, he would randomly pick some students and ask them to recite from element X to element Y. I never was able to memorize it... So I just made a chart and pasted it to the wall. He never knew.
Which school were you from? Just curious. :rolleyes:
 
  • #28
There's a web server at some University, i think, that can remember about 51 Billion digits. :smile:
 
  • #29
People can't be oriental, only rugs.

bomba923 said:
Indians are Asians as well :wink:

-Did you mean East Asian / Oriental ?
People can't be oriental, only rugs.
 
  • #30
cPQaIM said:
People can't be oriental, only rugs.
Thank you.

I've been spouting this one every chance I get since I first heard it, but people just look at me askance. I began to think I was mistaken.

Oriental is, by and large, a derogatory term, though not everyone has strong feelings about it.
 

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