Mathematical constant (nonfiction): Difference between revisions
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== Description == | == Description == | ||
Constants arise in many areas of [[mathematics (nonfiction)]], with constants such as e and π occurring in such diverse contexts as geometry, number theory, and calculus. | Constants arise in many areas of [[mathematics (nonfiction)]], with constants such as e and π occurring in such diverse contexts as geometry, number theory, and calculus. | ||
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All mathematical constants are definable numbers and usually are also computable numbers (Chaitin's constant being a significant exception). | All mathematical constants are definable numbers and usually are also computable numbers (Chaitin's constant being a significant exception). | ||
== Pi unrolled == | |||
[[File:Pi-unrolled-720.gif|The circumference of a circle with diameter 1 is π.]] | |||
== Fiction cross-reference == | == Fiction cross-reference == | ||
Revision as of 07:27, 3 June 2016
A mathematical constant is a special number (nonfiction), usually a real number (nonfiction), that is "significantly interesting in some way".
Description
Constants arise in many areas of mathematics (nonfiction), with constants such as e and π occurring in such diverse contexts as geometry, number theory, and calculus.
What it means for a constant to arise "naturally", and what makes a constant "interesting", is ultimately a matter of taste, and some mathematical constants are notable more for historical reasons than for their intrinsic mathematical interest.
The more popular constants have been studied throughout the ages and computed to many decimal places.
All mathematical constants are definable numbers and usually are also computable numbers (Chaitin's constant being a significant exception).
Pi unrolled
Fiction cross-reference
Nonfiction cross-reference
External links
- Mathematical constant @ Wikipedia