How many decimals of Pi do you remember?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the memorization of the digits of Pi, exploring personal experiences, motivations, and the perceived utility of such memorization. Participants share how many digits they remember, their methods for memorization, and their thoughts on the relevance of memorizing Pi in practical scenarios.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant claims to have memorized 150 digits of Pi and practices learning more each day.
  • Others express skepticism about the usefulness of memorizing Pi to such lengths, with some stating they only remember a few digits.
  • Some participants suggest that memorizing Pi can be a fun way to keep the mind active or serve as a memory exercise.
  • A few participants mention alternative activities for improving coordination or mental focus, such as juggling or sniping.
  • There are humorous exchanges about the practicality of using calculators versus memorizing Pi.
  • One participant recalls a method of memorizing Pi based on a quote from Einstein, linking it to emotional calmness.
  • Another participant references a historical bill that inaccurately defined Pi, highlighting the variability in its representation.
  • Some participants reflect on their past attempts to memorize Pi, with varying degrees of success.
  • There are comments about the nature of online discussions and the tendency to revive old threads.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally do not agree on the value of memorizing Pi to many decimal places, with some finding it pointless while others enjoy the challenge. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the practical utility of such memorization.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention the limitations of calculators in handling many decimal places of Pi, indicating that practical calculations rarely require such precision. There are also references to personal motivations for memorization that vary widely among participants.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those curious about memory techniques, the cultural significance of Pi, or the interplay between mathematics and personal hobbies.

  • #91
Klockan3 said:
So, you say 3.1?

the (one) decimal is the decimal (point/dot) :smile:
 
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  • #92
Klockan3 said:
I saw this post yesterday and thought; maybe I should look at this pi! Doesn't take that long memorising raw numbers, now I know:
3.
1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 59

I am sure you know much more digits than that, associated to different things than pi though. I mean 4 digits take ~1 minute to memorize, so the above string should take roughly 15 minutes. Not that much of your life.
I don't think I could do it in 15 minutes if I tried right now. And probably not in an hour even - unless I figure out some clever trick to memorize it. In general though, the way I memorize things is by seeing/using them periodically (i.e., through familiarity). I'm terrible at committing to memory by repeated recitation, like I've seen others do, but that's also probably because I have not put much effort into developing that skill.
 
  • #93
Gokul43201 said:
I don't think I could do it in 15 minutes if I tried right now. And probably not in an hour even - unless I figure out some clever trick to memorize it. In general though, the way I memorize things is by seeing/using them periodically (i.e., through familiarity). I'm terrible at committing to memory by repeated recitation, like I've seen others do, but that's also probably because I have not put much effort into developing that skill.
The trick is to want to memorize, at least for me. If I don't care I will only remember bits but when I focus I can remember just about anything indefinitely. The problem is of course that you can't just conjure up such focus at will.

But are you certain you can't do it? I really wonder how peoples memories works, since they seem to forget just about anything all the time... How do you even study with that disability? It would force you to do the same thing over and over again only to know that it still won't all stick. Kinda like shovelling raw rice with a fork!

Not intending to offend, I really wonder. I'd guess that they are just insanely passionate/motivated about it so they continue on anyway, but it is hard to accept that people have to forget just about everything. Seems so counter intuitive, I am hoping that there is a switch those haven't found yet and if they flip it they would stop forgetting important things.
 
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  • #94
I've memorized thousands of digits of Pi just fine.
But it's the digits to the right of the radix that I have trouble with.

Or.

I've memorized every digit of Pi.
Putting all ten of them in sequence is harder.
 
  • #95
Pi is a lot easier to remember if you calculate with pi basis:
1.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000...
 
  • #96
Pi is around 3-ish.
 
  • #97
Pinu7 said:
Pi is around 3-ish.

3.ish
 
  • #98
pi-70679 said:
I just find that learning pi is a good way to maintain your memory active, plus it's a really good time waster. I found out that now i can remember series of numbers in a lot less time. I just use birthdates, repeating numbers, and my latest, pattern you do with your fingers when you type the keys on the numpad.

I agree. I did the same thing between classes when I was in school towards the end of the semester. I got to 108 places.
I did it as an exercise because I had always told myself I had a terrible memory and I wanted to see how bad my memory was. The semester ended when I was at 108 numbers (I think) and so I stopped the exercise.
There are people who can memorize pi to 10,000 places. I suppose I could have gotten much farther if I made the time to do so. I gained a block of seven numbers daily and that was the 'trick' to it. Also I made it into a rhythm like which is a second trick. I think seven numbers at a time contain a rhythm and that rythms aid memory and this is why groups of seven numbers pop up a lot. I don't mean anything dumb like numerology, I am talking about the rhythm they make and how that aids memory.

I still remember 18 places after the 3.
I think I could have gone much further had I made the effort.


Its a valuable exercise for people interested in their own memory. I didn't read this entire thread but I bet 90% of the comments were like this: "Why do that? It's stupid. That number is not useful to that many places!" The point is not the number but I think that testing one's own memory is useful and it doesn't matter what the object of that memory is. It could be zip codes or sports stats.
 
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