When autistic folks and idiot savants claim that hours-long meditation on the seemingly random or sacred digits of the number π puts them in some kind of trance, which allows their mind’s eye to see sexy numerical patterns or relationships, or to visualize kaleidoscopic geometric shapes in higher dimensions.
Number theorists obsessed with the properties of π love to indulge themselves in hypnotic pi activities, hoping to experience a few aha! moments, which could help them secure early tenure thanks to some breakthrough results or elegant proofs on pi that grace the pages of reputable math journals.
by MathPlus June 27, 2021