What is the exact value of e and how many decimal digits do mathematicians know?

  • Thread starter Thread starter lonton
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
The mathematical constant e is approximately equal to 2.718281828, with its decimal representation extending infinitely without repeating. While some participants in the discussion recall specific digits of e, the exact value is best expressed symbolically as "e." There is no standard number of decimal places that mathematicians typically round to, but for practical purposes, three decimal places are often sufficient in educational settings. The conversation highlights the challenge of memorizing the digits of e, with one user sharing a mnemonic technique for recalling certain digits. Overall, the discussion emphasizes the infinite nature of e's decimal expansion and the preference for using its symbolic form in precise calculations.
lonton
Messages
19
Reaction score
0
1. Some one here remember what e's exact value is ? How long is the after.point.digits extended by mathematicians ?
2. e=2.79
3. I just remember e=2.79, I am not sure of such also

Thanks for any answer
 
Physics news on Phys.org
e^1 = 2.718281828
 
lonton said:
Some one here remember what e's exact value is ?

No one here (or in fact, anywhere) remember's e's exact value. :smile:

Its decimal representation has infinitely many digits after the decimal point, with no repeating pattern.
 
I do. It's "e". The fact that, in a particular numerical representation, it has an infinite number of digits has nothing to do with "remembering" it.
 
HallsofIvy said:
I do. It's "e". The fact that, in a particular numerical representation, it has an infinite number of digits has nothing to do with "remembering" it.

In that case, I remember the exact values of pi and phi as well. However, I (reasonably) inferred from lonton's question that he meant the decimal representation.
 
HallsofIvy said:
I do. It's "e". The fact that, in a particular numerical representation, it has an infinite number of digits has nothing to do with "remembering" it.

HallsofIvy is correct about the variables being the only exact way of expressing the most accurate value; however, without being sarcastic, I assume you just want a list of digits, which is available through NASA. I don't think that there is a "typical" amount of digits that people round to, although I do know that the College Board requires final answers to be accurate to three decimal places - so just pick whatever will still get you that accurate if you're not in a really advanced math class or doing this for your job (in that case, use as many as possible).

I just keep things in "e" form, though, if that makes sense. It's more exact.
 
2.7 1828 1828 45 90 45 235 360

I memorized these digits of e many years ago. The repeating block 1828 is a big help, of course; this is followed by three well known angles (in degrees), followed by the course number of the calculus class I happened to be taking at the time, followed by another well known angle.

I've never been able to memorize the next digit, though.
 
Back
Top