Eli5: I always thought pi is 22/7, but recently i found out that 22/7 is a number that is pretty close to pi, not pi itself. Then how do mathematicians found more “pi” ?

Question

Eli5: I always thought pi is 22/7, but recently i found out that 22/7 is a number that is pretty close to pi, not pi itself. Then how do mathematicians found more “pi” ?

In: 167

Answer 1

There are a number of infinite sums that converge to some multiple of pi, so it’s a question of finding one that converges quickly and having a really powerful computer.

Every Pi Day (March 14), [Matt Parker](https://youtube.com/@standupmaths) does a YouTube video where he uses one such method in a silly and labor-intensive way to get a couple of decimal places if he’s lucky