Isnt it impossible to recite 𝛑 backwards
from sopularity_fax@sopuli.xyz to nostupidquestions@lemmy.ca on 14 Jan 2026 04:55
https://sopuli.xyz/post/39581232

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southsamurai@sh.itjust.works on 14 Jan 2026 05:04 next collapse

Ip

Wasn’t that hard

Zamboni_Driver@lemmy.ca on 14 Jan 2026 05:39 next collapse

41.3

digitalFatteh@lemmy.ca on 14 Jan 2026 14:18 collapse

Mmmmmmm ip.

panda_abyss@lemmy.ca on 14 Jan 2026 05:08 next collapse

Yes, we’ve proven that pi is an irrational number and therefore has infinitely many digits.

if you picked one digit as the “last” one to start with, then you could express it as an integer faction and it wouldn’t be irrational. So that can’t happen.

You can express pi in irrational bases like base pi or tau, and then you have a finite number of digits (1), but that’s just putting a trench coat on top of pi and pretending it’s finite length so you can get into the movies. I don’t even know what you’d call those digits. But they wouldn’t let pi into the airport or courthouse like that.

Cruxifux@feddit.nl on 14 Jan 2026 05:10 next collapse

Being that it’s an irrational number it’s infinite, and to properly recite something backwards you’d have to start with the end which is impossible. But if you start from somewhere in the middle of the number and recite it backwards that would be possible, eg. 41.3. Depends on how much of a stickler you want to be about the rules of where you’re allowed to start I guess for your definition of impossible.

NightFantom@slrpnk.net on 14 Jan 2026 05:47 next collapse

It’s also impossible to recite pi forwards (entirely).

sopularity_fax@sopuli.xyz on 14 Jan 2026 06:10 collapse

But i mean to even begin to backwards is far less trivial

NightFantom@slrpnk.net on 14 Jan 2026 11:46 next collapse

True, but ending is a lot simpler than forwards 🙃

calliope@retrolemmy.com on 14 Jan 2026 16:28 collapse

Wouldn’t it be equally nontrivial?

Infinite complexity is still infinite complexity. Doesn’t matter the direction.

sopularity_fax@sopuli.xyz on 14 Jan 2026 19:27 collapse

Pi has one end: 3(.14…) (trivial) “Starting at the end of pi”: (non-trivial)

calliope@retrolemmy.com on 14 Jan 2026 20:24 collapse

The complexity doesn’t decrease either direction but ok! It’s still infinite.

Nemo@slrpnk.net on 14 Jan 2026 11:46 next collapse

eerht tniop eno ruof eno evif enin owt xis…

and so on

[deleted] on 14 Jan 2026 11:52 next collapse
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melsaskca@lemmy.ca on 14 Jan 2026 13:15 next collapse

“The train tracks all run parallel but they’ll all meet up one day.”

TheObviousSolution@lemmy.ca on 14 Jan 2026 14:09 next collapse

Zero followed by a one in base 𝛑.

jaselle@lemmy.ca on 14 Jan 2026 15:28 collapse

This is true of some rational numbers as well. Take 1/7 for instance.