MathPlus's definitions

π

An irrational number that is traditionally defined with respect to the circle, such as the following:
The length of a semicircle of radius one unit.
The angle measure of a straight line segment in radians.
The number of times the perimeter of a circle is more than its diameter.

To help students appreciate π beyond the canned definition that it is the ratio of circumference to diameter, teachers ought to define it in terms of other quantities not related to the circle.

by MathPlus January 21, 2021

Coronabyte

A unit of information equal to ten billion billion (or ten million trillion) bytes: 10¹⁹, or a 1 with 19 zeros at the end—sometimes known as 10 giga-gigabyte (10 × 10⁹ × 10⁹), and written as 1 🦠B.

If all of earthlings’ talks and tweets about Donald J. Trump’s lies and white lies while he was at the White House were to be made available online, would a coronabyte suffice to storing them?

by MathPlus August 2, 2021

Space

What you need if you want to represent nothing with nothing.

What’s the difference between nothing and zero? Is one the empty space and the other one a numeral?

by MathPlus December 31, 2018

Pi Is Sovereign

When mathematics’s most famous constant π transcends different math topics and disciplines, permeates both art and science, and lays hidden in philosophy and religion, often popping up in the least expected places in nature—the symbol π is a global icon that resonates positively or negatively with peoples of all ages and backgrounds.

Pi is sovereign among dozens of mathematical constants, but God is Sovereign among thousands of gods and goddesses, or deities and idols.

by MathPlus July 18, 2021

Pi and Friends

When the irrational number π appears to be particularly attracted to numerical buddies like e, i, and 𝜙 whenever they are indulged in some extra-mathematical activities together, as revealed by their intimate liaisons.

Don’t the following numerical relationships prove that pi and friends have an affinity for one another?
π ≈ 6/5 𝜙²
π ≈ (9 – e)
iⁱ = e^(-π/2)
e^(iπ) + 1 = 0

(- )! = √π
eⁱˣ = cos x + i sin x

by MathPlus February 5, 2021

Holy Pi

When the number π self-proclaims to be God’s “anointed” number, because it is the most famous constant in the whole of mathematics—no number has had such an impact on popular culture that even some mathophobic folks wouldn’t mind tattooing it conspicuously to look mathematically cool in the same way that unbelievers wear a cross to appear religious.

Because π is the beloved symbol of choice for millions of people worldwide, or even deified by some pi fanatics and numerologists, it’s not preposterous for the “sacred number” to be conferred the title of “Holy Pi.”

by MathPlus May 28, 2021

I Safe! You Safe! We Safe!

A half-broken English slogan used by construction companies in Singapore to remind their workers to be accident-conscious—zero success is the goal to preventing any casualties, accidents, or deaths.

If a grammatically incorrect slogan can get people to stop and comment, its impact in conveying the intended message is likely to be greater—I Safe! You Safe! We Safe! looks like a potential winner.

by MathPlus June 8, 2017