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Why 140 Digits of Pi Matter

Ed Sandifer
Western Connecticut State University

Thursday, April 29, 2004
102 Bradley Hall, 4 pm
Tea 3:30 pm, Math Lounge

Abstract: In 1789, the otherwise obscure Slovenian Major Jurij Vega announced that he had calculated pi to 140 decimal places, breaking De Lagny's record of 127 decimal places that had stood for 72 years. We will look at how and why Vega performed his famous calculation, and what makes it important.

This talk will be accessible to undergraduates.