apple pie

As a part owner of a bakery, I looked at the shelf in the retail store and saw 4 pies. To me, that meant $44, since we sell the pies for $11 each. Simple math.

However, I was rather overwhelmed to hear that David Tammet, a 31 year old gentleman can recite Pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter accurately for over 5 hours, without a mistake.

That takes it out to over 22,500 decimal places. No errors, and one would think that he could go on forever. Apparently, he did this from memory, but it's also possible that he was really just doing all the math in his head.

You see, David is an autistic savant who is a math genius. And just like Dustin Hoffman's character in Rainman, he knows all the answers, instantly and accurately. No mistakes, ever!

I still use a calculator on real estate deals, but I think that even if there were nine pies on the shelf I could get the right answer.

 
This post has been included in Ontario Real Estate News
Post is included in group: Cosmic Cow Pie...The Rome Way
Post is included in group: Voice of Reason

6 Comments on Pies and Pi's

DEC
12
2010
805,327 Points 1 Featured Post Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Hi Brian - Pi brings back memories from junior high where for one project, we memorized Pi to as many digits as possible. I think it was for an enriched math class I was in.

22,500 decimal places is only getting started.  I'm not sure how much of Pi they have calculated so far but you need a lot of computer processing power and time to get very far.  Apparently, the University of Tokyo has released the first 4.2 billion decimals to the public several years ago but did not release billions more. [per a quite Google search I just did now].
5:33pm • #1
869,196 Points 5 Featured Posts

Marc,

If David could just think, rather than speak the numbers out loud he would have been able to get a lot further.

Brian
5:46pm • #2

Back in Honors Chemistry in high school, our Christmas bonus was to memorize pi out to 50 decimal places. We were going to Los Angeles for Christmas to visit my oldest uncle, so I memorized it on the plane. I still know it. Call me up and I’ll rattle it off to you, fast, slow, whatever. It’s possibly the most useless thing I ever memorized, which is why it has stuck with me these 37 years. J
9:38pm • #3
DEC
13
2010
545,946 Points 121 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

Brain oops Brian;  9 X 11 is ???  Simple to calculate.  I used to amaze my staff with some of my "in my head" math skills but apparently they go with age.  Sigh.   
9:29am • #4
175,188 Points 2 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor

Wow, that's impressive. I used to be proud of my math skills, but David just steam-rolled over me.
1:25pm • #5
DEC
19
2010
548,645 Points 3 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Brian, I am by no means a savant of any sort, but if I recall my first calculator, a Texas instrument calculator my parents bought me in the early 70's, pi was 3.141592654...  

... as you might be able to tell, my scientific calculator had a 10 digit LED display =)

... funny the things you end up never being able to forget...
1:53am • #6


What does the graphic say?
Leave a response…

(optional)
Spam Prevention:
 
Rainmaker_large

Brian Madigan LL.B.

Toronto, ON

More about me…

RE/MAX West Realty Inc., Brokerage (Toronto)

Address: Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, Brampton, Caledon, Thornhill, Greater Toronto Area, http://www.iSourceRealEstate.com

Office Phone: (416) 745-2300

Email Me

Markets, Finance and Law related to real estate, estate planning and personal financial investment opportunities


Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog

Find ON real estate agents and Toronto real estate on ActiveRain.