A spy at the gate by Valerie Gray

No number has captured the attention and imagination of people throughout the ages as much as the ratio of a circles circumference to its diameter. Pior ? as it is symbolically knownis infinite and, in The Joy of pi, it proves to be infinitely intriguing. With incisive historical insight and a refreshing sense of humor, David Blatner explores the many facets of pi and humankinds fascination with itfrom the ancient Egyptians and Archimedes to Leonardo da Vinci and the modern-day Chudnovsky brothers, who have calculated pi to eight billion digits with a homemade supercomputer. The Joy of Pi is a book of many parts. Breezy narratives recount the history of pi and the quirky stories of those obsessed with it. Sidebars document fascinating pi trivia (including a segment from the 0. J. Simpson trial). Dozens of snippets and factoids reveal pis remarkable impact over the centuries. Mnemonic devices teach how to memorize pi to many hundreds of digits (or more, if youre so inclined). Pi-inspired cartoons, poems, limericks, and jokes offer delightfully square pi humor. And, to satisfy even the most exacting of number jocks, the first one million digits of pi appear throughout the book. A tribute to all things pi, The Joy of pi is sure to foster a newfound affection and respect for the big number with the funny little symbol.

Author: Valerie Gray

Language: English

Binding: Hardcover

Pages: 297

Publisher: St. Martins Press

Publication Date: 1987-01-01