This module contains interactive MATLAB® Apps that help you learn more about the mathematical constant pi (
The number pi has been studied for a very long time, yet it still holds some mysteries... For example, while mathematicians believe it is a universal number, they are quite incapable of proving it! Indeed, it is believed that any sequence of digits can be found within its decimals; you just need to look far enough to find it Without proof of this astonishing result, they can only verify this hypothesis on the 100 trillion decimals calculated in June 2022...
Before being made available online, this interactive experiment was presented in the Pi Room of Palais de la Découverte in Paris, France:
It was created using MATLAB, based on the data from the first 200 million decimals provided by the mathematics team. It allows you to search for any sequence of digits and tells you how many times and where it has been found.
Extensive computer verifications show that all 7-digit sequences appear at least once in the first 200 million decimals of pi. So your birth date is in there (in fact, on average, about 200 times). However, to find your phone number (10 digits) for sure, you would need to go up to 250 billion decimals...
Contact the MathWorks STEM Outreach team if you would like to provide feedback, or if you have a question.
Use the 
Download or clone this repository. Open MATLAB, navigate to the folder containing these scripts and double-click on pi-apps.prj. It will add the appropriate files to your MATLAB path and open the README.
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In this app, students will... - Select a method to calculate pi from the dropdown - Type a number of decimal places to display - Click the "RUN" button to run the corresponding MATLAB code - Observe the math, digits, and plots that result from calculating pi |
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In this app, students will... - Select their language of choice using the flag icons - Enter a sequence of numbers into the edit field using the keypad - Click the search button to reveal how many times that sequence of numbers is found in pi - Students can also using the "Previous" and "Next" buttons to find the position within pi the sequence is found |
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MATLAB®, App Designer
The license for this module is available in the LICENSE.txt.
Looking for more? Find an issue? Have a suggestion? Please contact the the MathWorks STEM Outreach team.
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