Computer science
march 2015
BY rana andary
Goodbye Pi, Hello Tau
18
A mathematical revolution is taking place right here, right now! There’s a rumor going around the pi may not be the perfect constant for absolutely everything in math (WHAT?!)
Before the world freaks out, let’s start with a little refresher. Pi (π, not the food) is approximately equal to 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971… and it refers to the result of a circle’s circumference divided by its diameter. It is used in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and even calculus. However, according to Michael Hartl, founder of Tau Day, pi is simply unnatural and confusing. For reference, Hartl isn’t completely bonkers and he has a PhD in theoretical physics from the California Institute of Technology (CalTech). He believes that the more natural constant for mathematics is Tau (2π or τ).
Tau compares the circle’s circumference to its radius, rather than diameter, and is much more convenient than pi because many mathematical equations have a 2 preceding the π. According to Hartl’s studies, the majority of equations in mathematics and physics employ 2π. But writing the number two and multiplying by it is simply child’s play. Why would such a simple problem attract so much attention?