Plus even that isn’t enough: 10/3 has an infinite decimal expansion (in base 10 at least) too, but if π = 10/3, you’d be able to find exact circumferences. Its irrationality is what makes it relevant to this joke.
A mathematician is also perfectly happy with answers like “4π” as exact.
Plus what’s to stop you from having a rational circumference but irrational radius?
Writing this, I feel like I might have accidentally proved your point.
Yup, similar to the square root of two and Euler’s number.
These are numbers defined by their properties and not their exact values. In fact, we have imaginary numbers that don’t have values and yet are still extremely useful because of their defined properties.
The actual punchline here should have been “there is no known equation to calculate the exact perimeter of an ellipse”, then sucking tears from an astrophysicist
More likely a mathematician would correct you instead of crying. Pi is not infinite, its decimal expansion is infinite!
Plus even that isn’t enough: 10/3 has an infinite decimal expansion (in base 10 at least) too, but if π = 10/3, you’d be able to find exact circumferences. Its irrationality is what makes it relevant to this joke.
A mathematician is also perfectly happy with answers like “4π” as exact.
Plus what’s to stop you from having a rational circumference but irrational radius?
Writing this, I feel like I might have accidentally proved your point.
Mathematicians taking a physics class and being told they have to round things. That’s when the tears start flowing.
Its decimal expansion is finite in the base pi.
1?
No 10. 1 is the same number in any base.
In my experience, 1 is equivalent with 1’s in other base… this particularly applies for base-ball
This is the correct answer. Pi is known. What it’s decimal expansion looks like is irrelevant. It’s 1 in base Pi.
Yup, similar to the square root of two and Euler’s number.
These are numbers defined by their properties and not their exact values. In fact, we have imaginary numbers that don’t have values and yet are still extremely useful because of their defined properties.
The actual punchline here should have been “there is no known equation to calculate the exact perimeter of an ellipse”, then sucking tears from an astrophysicist
Try it when you find some physicist that cares about exact values. Or when you see pigs flying over your head, both are about as likely.
Perfectly spherical pigs?
Would go well with my former teacher’s point-shaped cows.
I see, you were never at a Pink Floyd concert
Exactly, a fraction is completely as valid of a way to express a number as using a decimal.
1/2 = 0.5
They’re both fully valid ways to write the exact same quantity
This was my first thought and then I realized I had been nerd sniped.