aNewDomain.net — In honor of March 14th, (3-14-14) I made the most fascinating new discovery. The number we know as pi, 3.1415 … is wrong. For centuries mathematical formulas have been using pi to calculate innumerable problems. All wrong! The value of pi is actually 3.142. It may not seem like much of a difference, but the consequences can be enormous.
Cartoon by Tom Sloan
The basic formula of a circle, circumference equals pi times diameter, would cause the most impact. Water would be saved from better fitting, non-leaking pipes. Coins won’t jam in vending machines. Tire diameters causing mis-measured miles on the odometer would alter the actual fuel economy a car gets. The difference translates into hundreds of millions of barrels of oil a year. Calculating areas of land masses would show thousands of unaccounted acres per square mile. It is no wonder that areas like the Middle East have been fighting over land for so many years. The re-calculation of pi was actually a quite simple process. I took an old kickball. Cut it in half. Then, using a nice new ruler, I measured it really, really carefully. I did it twice to be absolutely sure there were no errors. I mailed my discovery to Congress and the president. They must have ordered further research to be done because I am still waiting for their responses.
Check out the Pi Day infographic.
For aNewDomain.net, I’m Tom Sloan.
Tom Sloan has drawn cartoons and illustrations for numerous publications — including the original BYTE magazine. Not limited to print, Tom’s cartoons and collages are displayed in museums and galleries throughout the United States. He’s also an accomplished animator. He’s created animations for such as clients Sesame Street, HBO, Nickelodeon, Captain Kangaroo, Romper Room, Burger King and McDonalds.
