When a
math-anxious or mathophobic person’s stress level skyrockets at the sight or
sound of the number π, or on spotting expressions or formulas that contain the irrational number—common symptoms are faster heartbeat, sweaty palms, temporary mental blackouts, and in some cases a seconds-long
stroke.
Don, who’s creepily pi-ed after watching a science
fiction horror movie, was given three days leave by his family psychiatrist to recover from his
post-pi traumatic experience.