Swiss university claims new record for calculating Pi
Pi, which begins with 3.14159, is a mathematical constant defined as the ratio between a circle’s circumference and its diameter.
Keystone / Bernd Kammerer
Swiss scientists claim to have set a new world record for calculating the number Pi to 62.8 trillion decimal places.
The University of Applied Sciences in Graubünden said last week that it took 108 days and nine hours to achieve the result using a high-performance computer.
The new record was calculated around 3.5 times faster than the previous record set in 2020, which calculated Pi to 50 trillion decimal places, it said.
“It is almost twice as fast as the record set by Google in 2019,” it added in a statementExternal link.
The full results will be revealed once the record has been certified by the Guinness Book of World Records. But the university in eastern Switzerland has already announced that the last ten digits of Pi are “7817924264”.
The calculation was undertaken to achieve several goals, explained professor Heiko Rölke, head of the university’s Center for Data Analytics, Visualization and Simulation (DAViS).
“In the course of preparing and performing the calculations, we were able to build up a lot of know-how and optimize our processes. This is now of particular benefit to our research partners, with whom we jointly carry out computationally intensive projects in data analysis and simulation,” he said.
Mathematical constant
Pi, which begins with 3.14159, is a mathematical constant defined as the ratio between a circle’s circumference and its diameter.
It is impossible to know the exact value because the number of decimal places is infinite, but knowledge about the number is constantly being updated thanks to powerful computers.
Being able to approximate Pi with some precision is important because the mathematical constant has many different practical applications, said Jan de Gier, a professor of mathematics and statistics at the University of Melbourne.
“Knowing Pi to some approximation is incredibly important because it appears everywhere, from the general relativity of Einstein to corrections in your GPS to all sorts of engineering problems involving electronics,” he told The Guardian newspaper.
He described the Swiss university’s calculation of Pi to 62.8tn decimal places as a “benchmarking exercise for computational hardware and software”.
“World records: they’re not useful by themselves, but they set a benchmark and they teach us about what we can achieve and they motivate others,” he said.
Popular Stories
More
Foreign affairs
Why Swiss trams have become sought-after vehicles in Ukraine
Switzerland participates in ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting
This content was published on
This engagement was part of a four-day tour of Southeast Asia, aimed at advancing the Swiss Federal Council's Southeast Asia Strategy.
Majority of shareholders approve sustainability reports of major Swiss companies
This content was published on
Shareholders have approved the sustainability reports of the largest Swiss companies by a large majority at their annual general meetings.
EU releases €1.5B frozen assets to Ukraine: Switzerland opts out
This content was published on
The EU announced the release of €1.5 billion (CHF1.44 billion) in aid to Ukraine. Switzerland will not follow the EU's approach.
Five people charged in connection with deadly Swiss rockslide
This content was published on
Five people have been charged with multiple negligent homicide in connection with the deadly Bondo rockslide that occurred seven years ago.
Mountaineer dies after 100-metre fall from Matterhorn
This content was published on
A women fell down the east face of the iconic mountain on Thursday, from an altitude of some 3,460 meters above sea level.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Top Swiss science prizes awarded to biologist and mathematician
This content was published on
The prizes go to a biologist working on cell proteins and a mathematician who solved a centuries-old problem about the optimal arrangement of spheres.
This content was published on
The prize was handed over at an international congress of mathematicians in Brazil on Wednesday, according to a press release by the Federal Institute of TechnologyExternal link. The International Mathematical Union (IMUExternal link) said the award was in recognition for Figalli’s contributions to the theory of optimal transport and its applications in partial differential equations,…
Zurich mathematician wins prize for pioneering women researchers
This content was published on
The Swiss National Science Foundation has chosen Mathilde Bouvel to receive 2017's Heim-Vögtlin prize for her work in an emerging mathematics field.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.