SCI/TECH: Man recites pi to 83,431 places

The current official record stands at just over 42k spaces with a 54K attempt being under review for the same man. Now he went over his still under review attempt with another 30K places! The highest decimal places calculated by a supercomputer and a University of Tokyo mathematician stands at 1.24 trillion.



It looks like the Japanees sure love PI.

With the current world record being held by a japanees man and the person that has made this amazing attempt (also a japanees) already having a record breaking attempt under review, it seems like noone is better at making Pi then the japanees are.

Alot of computer buffs love running SuperPI and programs like it to test the stability and endurance of their systems.
Turns out, even the Supercomputer builders love to use Pi programs to stresstest their systems.

I'm still at a loss to why someone would spend his time remembering Pi though. Theres so many other things to do and theres no way you can outdo even a simple computer at callculating Pi.
Not to mention that, as the article states, Pi in every day math and engeneering is only usefull up to about 1000 decimal digits, going over that is just a waste of time and complicating things.

This begs the question.... WHY?

Some people need to get out more

Man, can you say NERD!?

What is the reason for remembering anything past 3.14? I can understand a spellingbee, but a number bee? This guy has to much time on his hands. Heck of a memory though. He must eat echinasia straight off the flower

They dont remember pi, they work it out in their head. Its impressive but not really an appropriate story for ATSNN IMO.

I just feel for the poor people who had to check he was right, must have played back a recording slowly to be sure then again....

whats worse King Geek or Pi checker dont know which I would rather bee.

Maybe he ought to see the movie.

www.pithemovie.com...

That guy solved his problem too.

This is the kind of thing that really makes me angry. Can't he find ANYTHING better to do?

And this person is a psychiatric counselor?

Perhaps this obsession began when he started his own "formula" for billing a patient...

Sanc'.
edit:grammar

[edit on 4-7-2005 by sanctum]

I doubt this is an obsession, most people with this gift can 'see' the numbers infront of them. Its not like he's dedicated his life to achieving this skill, he was just born with it.

This is common among autistic savants. I read about one who recited pi to 22,000 places. [link] ASD patients who are gifted in mechanical mathematics actually calculate the numbers, rather than reciting from memory.

Either by recitation or calculation, I think this Japanese guy did something extraordinary, and I see this as just another example of the awesome power of the human brain.

From crackheads to Mensa members... What an organ.

Zip

Dude needs to get laid....big time.

Interesting - The power of the human brain IS truly awesome.

Voted yes because:

1. The guy probably is an autistic savant, maybe with Asberger's;
2. By current standards, this kind of mutation represents a "genetic flaw"; and
3. Eugenics-genetics policies offer free fetal screening and recommend aborting fetuses with "genetic flaws."

IMO - Todays epidemics of "genetic flaws" represent an adaptive evolutionary process. Let's not kill off what might be the mutation that saves the human species.

...So yeah, also IMO, atsnn can help publicize the positive side of these so-called "genetic flaws," and hopefully, help people see them in another light.

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He's a psychiatric counselor. Autism is a seriously debilitating disease and I doubt that he is an autistic savant. The article speaks about "recalling" and speaking pi "from memory."

Zip

wow, I can't remember my locker combo half the time

it is truly amazing how our brain works. I'm curious, how was it confirmed ? Is there a computer printout somewhere that goes to 83,000 places ?

I'm guessing a full voice recording.

It isn't confirmed "yet".
Even his previous attempt is still being reviewed. They seem to record it all on tape and then compare it to a paperprint or something, extensive process I'd think.

Originally posted by syrinx high priest
wow, I can't remember my locker combo half the time

it is truly amazing how our brain works. I'm curious, how was it confirmed ? Is there a computer printout somewhere that goes to 83,000 places ?

Any computer could compute it to this many places, but the article mentions a supercomputer that has drawn it out to 1.2 trillion places.

Zip

Anyone know the formula used to calculate pi?

I know its the ratio of a circle's circumference to its radius but what
formula is being used to compute the digits?


And I thought I was a geek, I only know it out to about 15 digits from
memory.

I think this is amazing. I see admonitions for this guy to "get a life", who says he doesn't have one? Ah, the envious.

Pi is an irrational number - there are no two simple numbers to divide to get exact pi. However, you can measure the circumference and diameter of a circle and divide the cirumference by the diameter and you will get a number close to pi, always beginning with 3.14.

This page has some cool pi formulas.

Zip

Originally posted by Zipdot
Autism is a seriously debilitating disease and I doubt that he is an autistic savant.
Zip

For alternate info, search "formes fruste."

...Most diseases are recognized and diagnosed only in their acute forms - yet mild or chronic forms abound. ...Asberger's is a mild form of autism that involves mathematical genius - it's generally not diagnosed, or is misdiagnosed as ADHD.

Many people with Asberger's function well professionally, although specific life skills training often is required.


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