And now for something completely different.Alright, many of you know that today is Pi Day, the day we celebrate Charlie Pai's last name. Not really. Just the mathematical constant of pi.
But some crazy mathematicians have decided to introduce a new idea: tau. Tau is simply just 2*pi.
Why would we do this, you ask? Because tau would make radians easier to understand, and because it also makes many physical equations nicer. You can also read the article linked in the title for a more technical explanation.
Of course, this removes the reason for pie eating on Pi Day and my very significant last name. It also forces a huge change in mathematical equations, which might be a daunting task. But making mathematics more comprehensible is also quite attractive. Should we replace pi with tau?
8 comments:
Although tau may make some mathematical equations/techniques easier, "Charlie Tau" just isn't as catchy as "Charlie Pi." :)
As for the mathematics, I prefer pi because I have learned the equations with pi. But now that I think of it, I don't think there's a significant difference between the two. Why not use whichever is most convenient?
I think that we should switch to "Tau" because if it does make some math simpler I am all for the transition. However I do not think that switching to Tau would should eliminate pi day. For in my eyes it is a national holiday in where students and math teachers unite and celebrate with delicious pie.
I think pi is much more simple (if you consider math simple..) me on the other hand just gets hungry for pie whenn I hear pi which makes me upset to learn that someone saying pi is not saying pie and there is no pie to consume! So...pi should stay...Tau is just not the norm!
I agree with Charlie's pi-ous post, but I think it may be 2pi-ous :)
- adapted from a linked website
But seriously, I rather like the idea of just starting to use it and defining tau = 2pi. I did something similar on a problem set over the summer... "let h = sqrt(2)." Why stick with convention when you can define things your own way?
While we're at it, let's define c = 300,000,000 m/s instead of 299,792,458.
Actually, I have to admit, the video in the article you linked was pretty convincing. I think, mathematically, it might be a good idea. But I still don't like it, for the following reasons:
1. We've already learned all the equations based on pi. Since most of us only have a few months of math left to deal with in high school (Yes, there is math in college, much to my personal dismay, but that's not the point) it seems pointless at this stage to learn a new way of working with sine curves, circles, and all that other fun stuff. Those of you who are going to follow President Obama's advice in the State of the Union address and serve your country by becoming math and science professionals might want to consider the idea. For the rest of us, I'm not sure it's really a necessary thing to have learn. If I were director of the state Department of Education, then yes, I'd change the standard. But since I am not, I'm not going to make myself learn the new notation. I think it should start being taught to people who've never heard of pi yet, and then phased out. That way, the people who already know pi avoid confusion, and the people who learn tau gain convenience.
2. More importantly, there is no delicious dessert called "tau," and even if there were, we wouldn't be able to eat it during school. "Tau Day" would June 28th, when schools are almost always on vacation. Therefore, it makes it much harder to spend a math class eating dessert rather than learning how to calculate integrals. Gross.
Besides, would anyone want to eat something called a "tau?" It would probably taste like a rock. However, it sounds vaugely like tea. Now there's an idea. If anyone wants to change the pronounciation of "tau" to "tea", then I would wholeheartedly support the shift in mathematical constants. We could use a Tea Day.
Hey if tau makes math a whole lot easier, I'm for it!!! :)
there are hundreds and maybe even thousands of various ways to approach mathematical strategies so i dont think it will hurt to introduce the tua.
but when you're talking about pie day, i really dont think this will really affect pie day loyalists
Might I remind everyone that not every single country in the world learns math in English (get it?...). So this issue would mean nothing in Senegal. But I do enjoy the puns. :D We all need a mood lifter once in a while.
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