Category: Adult learning

Researchers in a Swiss university have just calculated π to 62.8 trillion decimal places, setting a new record. We don’t really need this many digits – indeed, it’s been estimated that around 40 digits are sufficient for any calculations on an astronomical scale – however, the act of knowing this irrational (and transcendental) number with ever greater certainty is an inspiring challenge that has occupied human thought since ancient Egyptian times and possibly earlier, as evidenced in the Rhind papyrus of around 1650 BCE. Also, the technology used in generating this value can be utilised in other more practical areas such as fluid dynamics.

The constant π is inextricably linked with circular measure, which in turn makes it essential for calculations involving periodic processes in both the natural and constructed worlds; it is also invaluable in modelling random processes associated with probability.

See the full report on the latest developments with π in The Guardian here:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/aug/16/swiss-researchers-calculate-pi-to-new-record-of-628tn-figures

I’m working on a new exciting maths book for Dorling Kindersley, called Simply Maths.

This book is highly visual and offers a digested version of the big ideas behind each of the major topics, so that you can gain a broad understanding without having to cross the mathematical pain threshold! 

For students and the interested layperson alike, and most importantly for those who have a lifelong nervousness of the subject, Simply Maths publishes in February 2022 and can be found on the Dorling Kindersley website here:

https://www.dk.com/uk/book/9780241515686-simply-maths/

 

 

This vast reference book, published by DK, is out now and contains a maths section written by me – along with lots of wonderful pages on diverse subjects such as history, astronomy and transport. You’ll never need the Internet again!

A vibrant exploration of the world’s most famous and important mathematical ideas, theorems, and movements, and the great minds behind them. Out now from Dorling Kindersley.

https://www.dk.com/uk/book/9780241350362-the-maths-book/

The Maths Book is available from 5th September 2019, published by Dorling Kindersley. The main premise is that it’s about big ideas, simply explained – so if you ever wanted to know a bit more about maths than the half-remembered and three-quarters forgotten stuff on fractions that you might have learned at school, this is the book to get hold of. 

 

It’s National Numeracy Day! Happens once a year, and allows people of all ages to gain greater awareness of the importance that being numerate can make in their everyday lives.

https://numeracyday.com

Do also sign up for the National Numeracy Challenge, doesn’t have to be today:

https://www.nnchallenge.org.uk/home/index.html?partner_code=nnd18

Take a  moment today to reflect on 14th March, or 3/14 as it’s often expressed. Today is Pi Day, named after the fascinating proportion of a circle – the ratio of its circumference to its diameter. This number is both irrational and transcendental – nobody really knows what it is in total accuracy. However you can learn the first few decimal places for yourself – just count the letters:

How I wish I could calculate pi (3.141592…)