Pi

Since pi-day, March 14, is coming up, let’s prepare by pondering the number that has obsessed and tortured minds for centuries. This Greek letter, of course, represents the relationship between a circle and its diameter. It’s certainly known by smart alien civilizations throughout the universe. Other universe-wide numbers probably memorized by tattooed Andromeda school-kids no doubt include the four-to-one mass ratio of helium to hydrogen and the speed of light.

The number pi goes far beyond 3.14. In fact, the mathematical constant has an infinite number of digits after its decimal. On Wednesday morning a…