In Carl Sagan's book Contact, Dr. Ellie Arroway mathematically proved that Pi, calculated out to some huge number, had a series of 1 and 0 that when arranged in a raster, formed a circle, supposedly showing that the universe was not an accident.
While this is obviously fiction, is there any Mathematical equation, theorem, or any other aspect of Math that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up or otherwise cause you to wonder?
In Carl Sagan's book Contact, Dr. Ellie Arroway mathematically proved that Pi, calculated out to some huge number, had a series of 1 and 0 that when arranged in a raster, formed a circle,
Correct! Since Pi has infinitely many digits, and is non-repeating, that means that it has "a series of 1 and 0 that when arranged in a raster, form a circle". In related news, the square root of 2 contains the entire works of Shakespeare (in ASCII format).
Math and the Universe (Score:4, Interesting)
In Carl Sagan's book Contact, Dr. Ellie Arroway mathematically proved that Pi, calculated out to some huge number, had a series of 1 and 0 that when arranged in a raster, formed a circle, supposedly showing that the universe was not an accident.
While this is obviously fiction, is there any Mathematical equation, theorem, or any other aspect of Math that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up or otherwise cause you to wonder?
Re:Math and the Universe (Score:1)
In Carl Sagan's book Contact, Dr. Ellie Arroway mathematically proved that Pi, calculated out to some huge number, had a series of 1 and 0 that when arranged in a raster, formed a circle,
Correct! Since Pi has infinitely many digits, and is non-repeating, that means that it has "a series of 1 and 0 that when arranged in a raster, form a circle". In related news, the square root of 2 contains the entire works of Shakespeare (in ASCII format).