GIS Pi Day 2023

Which mathematician first rigorously calculated pi?

• Archimedes of Syracuse

• Al-Khwarizmi

• Sir Isaac Newton

• Ms. Clark

Answer explanation

Pi was first rigorously calculated by one of the greatest mathematicians of the ancient world, Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212 B.C.). Archimedes was so engrossed in his work that he did not notice that Roman soldiers had taken the Greek city of Syracuse. When a Roman soldier approached him, he yelled in Greek “Do not touch my circles!” The Roman soldier simply cut off his head and went on his business.

How many occurrences of the sequence 123456 appear in the first million digits of pi?

• 3

• 2

• 1

• 0

Answer explanation

There are no occurrences of the sequence 123456 in the first million digits of pi—but of the eight 12345s that do occur, three are followed by another 5. The sequence 012345 occurs twice and, in both cases, it is followed by another 5.

Which famous scientist was born on pi day?

• Isaac Newton

• Albert Einstein

• Stephen Hawking

• Mr. Henderson

At what time do official celebrations begin on pi day?

• 3.14 am

• 2.46 pm

• 12.00 am

• 1.59 pm

Answer explanation

"Pi Day" is celebrated on March 14 (which was chosen because it resembles 3.14). The official celebration begins at 1:59 p.m., to make an appropriate 3.14159 when combined with the date.

Which product called Pi, sold by Givenchy, is marketed as enhancing the attractiveness of intelligent and visionary men?

• Maths-themed ties

• Men's cologne

• Prism-shaped shoes

• icosahedral hats

Answer explanation

Givenchy sells a men’s cologne with the name ‘Pi’. The company markets this product as capable of enhancing the attractiveness of intelligent and visionary men.

How many zeros appear in the first 1,000,000 digits of pi?

• 99,959

• 100,106

• 99,758

• 100,359

Answer explanation

The first million decimal places of pi consist of 99,959 zeros, 99,758 1s, 100,026 2s, 100,229 3s, 100,230 4s, 100,359 5s, 99,548 6s, 99,800 7s, 99,985 8s, and 100,106 9s.

In 2015, Suresh Kumar Sharma beat the world record for memorising the digits of pi. How many did he recite?

• 71,105

• 70,000

• 67,890

• 70,030

How long did it take for Suresh Kumar Sharma to recite all of these digits?

• 17 hr 14 min

• 14 hr 14 min

• 14 hr 17 min

• 17 hr 17 min

In which year did William Jones, a friend of Sir Isaac Newton, begin using the symbol for pi?

• 1658

• 1706

• 1721

• 1692

Answer explanation

Pi wasn’t always known as pi. Before the 1700s, people referred to the number we know as pi as “the quantity which, when the diameter is multiplied by it, yields the circumference”. Not surprisingly, people got tired of saying so much whenever they wanted to talk about Pi. The Welsh mathematician William Jones, a friend of Sir Isaac Newton, began using the symbol for pi in 1706.

The calculation of the value of pi can be used as a stress test for a computer processor.

• True

• False