pi day
by Simon Pampena
Memorising Pi
(aka Piphilology)
(aka Pi-ems)
1
Pi is a very strange number.
Not only does it never end, it looks like it is totally random.
This makes memorising the digits of Pi very difficult for circle lovers
the world over.
A way around this is to turn the digits of pi into words that can be
memorised in the form of a poem.
Memorise the poem and you can work out the digits of Pi!
In this activity we will:
1. Create poems based on the digits of pi.
2. See who can work out the best approximation of pi using real
circles.
3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679
8214808651328230664709384460955058223172535940812848111745028410270193852110555964462294895493038196
4428810975665933446128475648233786783165271201909145648566923460348610454326648213393607260249141273
7245870066063155881748815209209628292540917153643678925903600113305305488204665213841469519415116094
3305727036575959195309218611738193261179310511854807446237996274956735188575272489122793818301194912
9833673362440656643086021394946395224737190702179860943702770539217176293176752384674818467669405132
0005681271452635608277857713427577896091736371787214684409012249534301465495853710507922796892589235
4201995611212902196086403441815981362977477130996051870721134999999837297804995105973173281609631859
5024459455346908302642522308253344685035261931188171010003137838752886587533208381420617177669147303
5982534904287554687311595628638823537875937519577818577805321712268066130019278766111959092164201989
3809525720106548586327886593615338182796823030195203530185296899577362259941389124972177528347913151
5574857242454150695950829533116861727855889075098381754637464939319255060400927701671139009848824012
8583616035637076601047101819429555961989467678374494482553797747268471040475346462080466842590694912
9331367702898915210475216205696602405803815019351125338243003558764024749647326391419927260426992279
6782354781636009341721641219924586315030286182974555706749838505494588586926995690927210797509302955
3211653449872027559602364806654991198818347977535663698074265425278625518184175746728909777727938000
8164706001614524919217321721477235014144197356854816136115735255213347574184946843852332390739414333
4547762416862518983569485562099219222184272550254256887671790494601653466804988627232791786085784383
8279679766814541009538837863609506800642251252051173929848960841284886269456042419652850222106611863
0674427862203919494504712371378696095636437191728746776465757396241389086583264599581339047802759009
9465764078951269468398352595709825822620522489407726719478268482601476990902640136394437455305068203
4962524517493996514314298091906592509372216964615157098583874105978859597729754989301617539284681382
6868386894277415599185592524595395943104997252468084598727364469584865383673622262609912460805124388
4390451244136549762780797715691435997700129616089441694868555848406353422072225828488648158456028506
0168427394522674676788952521385225499546667278239864565961163548862305774564980355936345681743241125
1507606947945109659609402522887971089314566913686722874894056010150330861792868092087476091782493858
9009714909675985261365549781893129784821682998948722658804857564014270477555132379641451523746234364
5428584447952658678210511413547357395231134271661021359695362314429524849371871101457654035902799344
0374200731057853906219838744780847848968332144571386875194350643021845319104848100537061468067491927
8191197939952061419663428754440643745123718192179998391015919561814675142691239748940907186494231961
5679452080951465502252316038819301420937621378559566389377870830390697920773467221825625996615014215
0306803844773454920260541466592520149744285073251866600213243408819071048633173464965145390579626856
1005508106658796998163574736384052571459102897064140110971206280439039759515677157700420337869936007
2305587631763594218731251471205329281918261861258673215791984148488291644706095752706957220917567116
7229109816909152801735067127485832228718352093539657251210835791513698820914442100675103346711031412
6711136990865851639831501970165151168517143765761835155650884909989859982387345528331635507647918535
8932261854896321329330898570642046752590709154814165498594616371802709819943099244889575712828905923
2332609729971208443357326548938239119325974636673058360414281388303203824903758985243744170291327656
1809377344403070746921120191302033038019762110110044929321516084244485963766983895228684783123552658
2131449576857262433441893039686426243410773226978028073189154411010446823252716201052652272111660396
6655730925471105578537634668206531098965269186205647693125705863566201855810072936065987648611791045
3348850346113657686753249441668039626579787718556084552965412665408530614344431858676975145661406800
7002378776591344017127494704205622305389945613140711270004078547332699390814546646458807972708266830
6343285878569830523580893306575740679545716377525420211495576158140025012622859413021647155097925923
0990796547376125517656751357517829666454779174501129961489030463994713296210734043751895735961458901
9389713111790429782856475032031986915140287080859904801094121472213179476477726224142548545403321571
8530614228813758504306332175182979866223717215916077166925474873898665494945011465406284336639379003
9769265672146385306736096571209180763832716641627488880078692560290228472104031721186082041900042296
6171196377921337575114959501566049631862947265473642523081770367515906735023507283540567040386743513
6222247715891504953098444893330963408780769325993978054193414473774418426312986080998886874132604721
5695162396586457302163159819319516735381297416772947867242292465436680098067692823828068996400482435
4037014163149658979409243237896907069779422362508221688957383798623001593776471651228935786015881617
2
Materials Needed
1. A4 paper
2. Pen or pencil
3. A good vocabulary
3
Method
1. Look at the first 100 digits
of Pi including the first
number, 3.
2. Look for words that are the
same length as the digits.
3. Write a poem using words
that are the same length as
the digits of Pi.
4. Memorise your poem and
recite it aloud so others can
hear the words of Pi!
4
100 Digits of Pi
3
.1415926535
8979323846
2643383279
5028841971
6939937510
5820974944
5923078164
0628620899
8628034825
3421170679
5
Example
3 letters long
Can
1 letter long
I
4 letters long
make
1 letter long
a
5 letters long
rhyme
9 letters long
utilising
2 letters long
pi?
6 letters long
Simple.
5 letters long
Think
3 letters long
big,
5 letters long
start
8 letters long
anywhere!
6
Most Common English Words
1
a
I
2
of
to
in
is
it
he
on
as
be
at
or
by
we
up
an
do
if
so
go
my
no
me
us
am
oh
3
the
and
you
was
for
are
his
one
had
hot
but
can
out
all
use
how
she
way
her
see
him
two
has
day
did
who
may
now
any
new
get
man
our
say
low
boy
old
too
set
air
end
put
add
big
act
why
ask
men
off
try
own
4
that
with
they
have
this
from
some
what
were
your
when
word
said
each
time
will
many
then
them
like
long
make
look
more
come
most
over
know
than
call
down
side
been
find
work
part
take
made
live
back
only
year
came
show
good
give
name
very
just
form
much
5
there
other
which
their
about
would
write
these
thing
could
sound
water
first
place
where
after
round
every
under
great
think
cause
right
three
small
large
spell
light
house
again
point
world
build
earth
stand
found
study
still
learn
plant
cover
never
cross
since
start
might
story
don't
while
press
close
6
number
people
little
before
differ
follow
change
animal
mother
father
should
answer
school
always
letter
second
friend
enough
though
family
direct
happen
better
truest
during
ground
listen
travel
simple
toward
center
person
appear
govern
notice
figure
beauty
minute
strong
behind
street
course
object
decide
island
record
common
wonder
weight
7
through
picture
country
thought
between
example
measure
product
numeral
problem
hundred
morning
several
against
pattern
science
certain
machine
correct
contain
develop
special
produce
nothing
surface
brought
perhaps
8
sentence
together
children
mountain
question
complete
remember
interest
possible
thousand
language
9
something
important
beginning
direction
necessary
7
Most Common English Words
1
2
3
sun
let
eye
saw
far
sea
run
few
got
car
eat
cut
red
dog
top
six
ten
war
lay
map
fly
cry
box
lot
yet
age
dry
ago
ran
yes
hot
bed
sit
4
5
help
line
turn
same
mean
move
does
tell
want
well
also
play
home
read
hand
port
even
land
here
must
high
such
went
kind
need
near
self
head
page
grow
food
four
keep
last
door
city
tree
hard
draw
left
late
real
life
stop
open
seem
next
walk
ease
both
night
white
begin
paper
often
music
those
until
river
group
carry
began
north
horse
watch
color
plain
usual
young
ready
above
leave
state
black
short
class
order
south
piece
whole
heard
early
reach
table
vowel
money
serve
voice
power
field
pound
drive
stood
front
teach
final
green
quick
sleep
clear
6
7
8
9
8
Who recited the most digits of
in your group?
9
Teacher’s Notes
Page 4
Hand out a sheet with the first 100 digits of pi or project the
100 digits so the whole class can see.
Students can use the list of the Most Common English Words
if they need help.
10
Other Languages
Italian - 29 decimal places
Non è dato a tutti ricordare il numero aureo del sommo
filosofo Archimede. Certuni sostengon che si può ricordare
tale numero, ma questi poi non recitano che un centone
insensato.
Translation:
Not anybody can retain the golden number of the great
philosopher Archimedes. There are who claim it is possible to
recall this number, but then they just recite a senseless cento
Greek - 22 decimal places:
Ἀεὶ ὁ Θεὸς ὀ Μέγας γεωμετρεῖ,
τὸ κύκλου μῆκος ἵνα ὁρίσῃ διαμέτρῳ,
παρήγαγεν ἀριθμὸν ἀπέραντον,
καὶ ὅν, φεῦ, οὐδέποτε ὅλον θνητοὶ θὰ εὕρωσι
Translation:
The Great God applies geometry forever;
To define the length of the circle using its diameter,
He produced an infinite number,
Which, alas, mortals will never find in its entirety.
11