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Pi or e?

What is your favorite mathematical constant?


  • Total voters
    35
  • Poll closed .
Let the math arousal continue:

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Wow, lots of π fans. e has a simple and elegant definition: The summation of the inverse of n factorial as n runs from 0 to infinity. Or you can call it the limit as n approaches infinity, of (1+1/n)n​. Or even the limit as n approaches 0, of (1+n)(1/n)​. With π, you're either doing crazy continued fractions, or you're calling it the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, and that's boring! Euler talked about e as being a number whose hyperbolic logarithm was 1. Now that's fascinating! :hyper:

e^(i x pi)= -1

I almost got a hardon the first time I saw that, almost.

That is called "Euler's Identity," and it an amazingly fascinating theorum, because it makes use of 0,1,i,e and π.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euler%27s_identity
 
My second favorie is phi. It's astonishing how many places it turns up. Even the structure of DNA.

But number one on my list of favorite constants is the reduced Planck's constant "h bar". It's the metric that defines the base of the scale for the size of literally everything in the universe.

The first part of my username refers to it. The second part refers to the unfortunate boxed feline that belonged to Schrodinger.
 
My second favorie is phi. It's astonishing how many places it turns up. Even the structure of DNA.

But number one on my list of favorite constants is the reduced Planck's constant "h bar". It's the metric that defines the base of the scale for the size of literally everything in the universe.

The first part of my username refers to it. The second part refers to the unfortunate boxed feline that belonged to Schrodinger.

I have a cat named Schrodinger.
 
Lets not forget Newtons Universal Gravitational Constant, verified by Cavendish and used, about 200 years ago, to 'weigh the Earth'.

I had one of those moments of revelation in science back in high school when I discovered that the formulas for calculating the gravitational force or the electrical force between two objects are virtually identical. Theonly difference being the units and the value of the constant.

The universe is not put together willy-nilly. Everything is interconnected and the structure hidden within can best be described as. . . . elegant.