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35 bytes added ,  16:28, March 16, 2007
355/113
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In hexadecimal, <big><math>\pi</math></big> is approximately 3.243f.
 
In hexadecimal, <big><math>\pi</math></big> is approximately 3.243f.
   −
For rough purposes, the fraction 22/7 (= 3.14285...) is sometimes used.
+
For rough purposes, the fraction 22/7 (= 3.14285...) is sometimes used. 355/113 is accurate to six places.
    
To some extent, the progress of mathematics&mdash;or at least of computation&mdash;can be gauged by the progress in the number of digits to which <big><math>\pi</math></big> has been calculated. In 1873 Abraham Shanks spent twenty years calculating <big><math>\pi</math></big> to 707 places, but unfortunately made a mistake in his calculation and only 527 of them were correct. When electronic computers were developed, <big><math>\pi</math></big> was soon calculated to tens of thousands, millions, and billions of places. As of 2002, the record is held by Yasumasa Kanada of Tokyo University at 1,241,100,000,000 digits. That result was never printed out.
 
To some extent, the progress of mathematics&mdash;or at least of computation&mdash;can be gauged by the progress in the number of digits to which <big><math>\pi</math></big> has been calculated. In 1873 Abraham Shanks spent twenty years calculating <big><math>\pi</math></big> to 707 places, but unfortunately made a mistake in his calculation and only 527 of them were correct. When electronic computers were developed, <big><math>\pi</math></big> was soon calculated to tens of thousands, millions, and billions of places. As of 2002, the record is held by Yasumasa Kanada of Tokyo University at 1,241,100,000,000 digits. That result was never printed out.
4,994

edits

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