Happy March 14th, and happy Pi Day!!
I know it’s a bit late but I think it’s still appropriate for me to share my favorite Pi-related dialogue from one of my favorite but sadly underrated TV Series, Person of Interest.
Finch, writing the first few digits of Pi, whilst speaking to a classroom*
Finch: Pi. Can any of you tell me what it means? I’ll settle for an intelligent question here.
*A student raises hand*
Finch: Yeah?
Student: My friend has a question.
*Student reads text from her phone*
Student: What is any of this good for, and, uh… when would we ever use it?
Finch: Let me show you.
Pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, and this is just the beginning; it keeps on going, forever, without ever repeating. Which means that contained within this string of decimals, is every single other number. Your birth date, combination to your locker, your social security number, it’s all in there, somewhere. And if you convert these decimals into letters, you would have every word that ever existed in every possible combination; the first syllable you spoke as a baby, the name of your latest crush, your entire life story from beginning to end, everything we ever say or do; all of the world’s infinite possibilities rest within this one simple circle. Now what you do with that information; what it’s good for, well that would be up to you.