Eli5: How does pie have so many digits? Why was it created? What other use does it serve?

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Like, it’s just a number why is it SO specific? Other than circles I can’t think of a use that pie has. Why would we create something that only has one use (that I know of) that is almost always simplified?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Pi wasn’t created but is instead a mathematical constant that was *discovered*.

Pi has an enormous number of uses in mathematics and sciences, including:

* Geometry and trigonometry: the formulae for ellipses, spheres, cones, and tori
* Units of angle: the calculation of angle units measured in radians are based on pi
* Linear algebra: Eigenvalues
* Statistics and probability: Gaussian integrals
* Inequalities
* Topology and differential geometry
* Fourier series

Pi even shows up in truly fundamental knowledge about the deep nature of the universe, such as the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, which is a core principle of quantum mechanics.

Finally, pi appears in what is probably the most beautiful equation of all time: The Euler identity.

e^*i**π* + 1 = 0

in which

* e is Euler’s number, the base of natural logarithms
* *i* is the imaginary unit, which by definition satisfies *i*^2 = −1
* *π* is pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter
* 1 is the multiplicative identity
* 0 is the additive identity

This single equation is remarkable in that it is so exceedingly simple and yet that it connects such separate and powerful concepts in mathematics. Each of its five parts is a fundamental concept all in itself, so the longer you study it, the more majestic it becomes.

Edit: Fixed an exponent

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