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Approximations of pi 9/10 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Approximations_of_pi reference science, encyclopedia 2026-05-05T16:19:48.727542+00:00 kb-cron
        π
        2
      
    
    =
    
      ∑
      
        n
        =
        0
      
      
        ∞
      
    
    arctan
    
    
      
        1
        
          F
          
            2
            n
            +
            1
          
        
      
    
    =
    arctan
    
    
      
        1
        1
      
    
    +
    arctan
    
    
      
        1
        2
      
    
    +
    arctan
    
    
      
        1
        5
      
    
    +
    arctan
    
    
      
        1
        13
      
    
    +
    ⋯
  

{\displaystyle {\frac {\pi }{2}}=\sum _{n=0}^{\infty }\arctan {\frac {1}{F_{2n+1}}}=\arctan {\frac {1}{1}}+\arctan {\frac {1}{2}}+\arctan {\frac {1}{5}}+\arctan {\frac {1}{13}}+\cdots }

and

        π
        4
      
    
    =
    
      ∑
      
        k
        ≥
        2
      
    
    arctan
    
    
      
        
          2
          
          
            a
            
              k
              
              1
            
          
        
        
          a
          
            k
          
        
      
    
    ,
  

{\displaystyle {\frac {\pi }{4}}=\sum _{k\geq 2}\arctan {\frac {\sqrt {2-a_{k-1}}}{a_{k}}},}

where

      F
      
        n
      
    
  

{\displaystyle F_{n}}

is the n-th Fibonacci number. However, these two formulae for

    π
  

{\displaystyle \pi }

are much slower in convergence because of set of arctangent functions that are involved in computation.

==== Arcsine ==== Observing an equilateral triangle and noting that

    sin
    
    
      (
      
        
          π
          6
        
      
      )
    
    =
    
      
        1
        2
      
    
  

{\displaystyle \sin \left({\frac {\pi }{6}}\right)={\frac {1}{2}}}

yields

            π
          
          
            
            =
            6
            
              sin
              
                
                1
              
            
            
            
              (
              
                
                  1
                  2
                
              
              )
            
            =
            6
            
              (
              
                
                  
                    1
                    2
                  
                
                +
                
                  
                    1
                    
                      2
                      ⋅
                      3
                      ⋅
                      
                        2
                        
                          3
                        
                      
                    
                  
                
                +
                
                  
                    
                      1
                      ⋅
                      3
                    
                    
                      2
                      ⋅
                      4
                      ⋅
                      5
                      ⋅
                      
                        2
                        
                          5
                        
                      
                    
                  
                
                +
                
                  
                    
                      1
                      ⋅
                      3
                      ⋅
                      5
                    
                    
                      2
                      ⋅
                      4
                      ⋅
                      6
                      ⋅
                      7
                      ⋅
                      
                        2
                        
                          7
                        
                      
                    
                  
                
                +
                ⋯
                
              
              )
            
          
        
        
          
          
            
            =
            
              
                3
                
                  
                    16
                    
                      0
                    
                  
                  ⋅
                  1
                
              
            
            +
            
              
                6
                
                  
                    16
                    
                      1
                    
                  
                  ⋅
                  3
                
              
            
            +
            
              
                18
                
                  
                    16
                    
                      2
                    
                  
                  ⋅
                  5
                
              
            
            +
            
              
                60
                
                  
                    16
                    
                      3
                    
                  
                  ⋅
                  7
                
              
            
            +
            ⋯
            
            =
            
              ∑
              
                n
                =
                0
              
              
                ∞
              
            
            
              
                
                  3
                  ⋅
                  
                    
                      
                        (
                      
                      
                        
                          2
                          n
                        
                        n
                      
                      
                        )
                      
                    
                  
                
                
                  
                    16
                    
                      n
                    
                  
                  (
                  2
                  n
                  +
                  1
                  )
                
              
            
          
        
        
          
          
            
            =
            3
            +
            
              
                1
                8
              
            
            +
            
              
                9
                640
              
            
            +
            
              
                15
                7168
              
            
            +
            
              
                35
                98304
              
            
            +
            
              
                189
                2883584
              
            
            +
            
              
                693
                54525952
              
            
            +
            
              
                429
                167772160
              
            
            +
            ⋯
          
        
      
    
  

{\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}\pi &=6\sin ^{-1}\left({\frac {1}{2}}\right)=6\left({\frac {1}{2}}+{\frac {1}{2\cdot 3\cdot 2^{3}}}+{\frac {1\cdot 3}{2\cdot 4\cdot 5\cdot 2^{5}}}+{\frac {1\cdot 3\cdot 5}{2\cdot 4\cdot 6\cdot 7\cdot 2^{7}}}+\cdots \!\right)\\&={\frac {3}{16^{0}\cdot 1}}+{\frac {6}{16^{1}\cdot 3}}+{\frac {18}{16^{2}\cdot 5}}+{\frac {60}{16^{3}\cdot 7}}+\cdots \!=\sum _{n=0}^{\infty }{\frac {3\cdot {\binom {2n}{n}}}{16^{n}(2n+1)}}\\&=3+{\frac {1}{8}}+{\frac {9}{640}}+{\frac {15}{7168}}+{\frac {35}{98304}}+{\frac {189}{2883584}}+{\frac {693}{54525952}}+{\frac {429}{167772160}}+\cdots \end{aligned}}}

with a convergence such that each additional five terms yields at least three more digits.

== Digit extraction methods == The BaileyBorweinPlouffe formula (BBP) for calculating π was discovered in 1995 by Simon Plouffe. Using a spigot algorithm, the formula can compute any particular base 16 digit of π—returning the hexadecimal value of the digit—without computing the intervening digits.

    π
    =
    
      ∑
      
        n
        =
        0
      
      
        ∞
      
    
    
      (
      
        
          
            4
            
              8
              n
              +
              1
            
          
        
        
        
          
            2
            
              8
              n
              +
              4
            
          
        
        
        
          
            1
            
              8
              n
              +
              5
            
          
        
        
        
          
            1
            
              8
              n
              +
              6
            
          
        
      
      )
    
    
      
        (
        
          
            1
            16
          
        
        )
      
      
        n
      
    
  

{\displaystyle \pi =\sum _{n=0}^{\infty }\left({\frac {4}{8n+1}}-{\frac {2}{8n+4}}-{\frac {1}{8n+5}}-{\frac {1}{8n+6}}\right)\left({\frac {1}{16}}\right)^{n}}

In 1996, Plouffe derived an algorithm to extract the nth decimal digit of π (using base 10 math to extract a base 10 digit), and which can do so with an improved speed of O(n3(log n)3) time. The algorithm does not require memory for storage of a full n-digit result, so the one-millionth digit of π could in principle be computed using a pocket calculator. (However, it would be quite tedious and impractical to do so.)

    π
    +
    3
    =
    
      ∑
      
        n
        =
        1
      
      
        ∞
      
    
    
      
        
          n
          
            2
            
              n
            
          
          n
          
            !
            
              2
            
          
        
        
          (
          2
          n
          )
          !
        
      
    
  

{\displaystyle \pi +3=\sum _{n=1}^{\infty }{\frac {n2^{n}n!^{2}}{(2n)!}}}

The calculation speed of Plouffe's formula was improved to O(n2) by Fabrice Bellard, who derived an alternative formula (albeit only in base 2 math) for computing π.

    π
    =
    
      
        1
        
          2
          
            6
          
        
      
    
    
      ∑
      
        n
        =
        0
      
      
        ∞
      
    
    
      
        
          (
          
          1
          
            )
            
              n
            
          
        
        
          2
          
            10
            n
          
        
      
    
    
      (
      
        
        
          
            
              2
              
                5
              
            
            
              4
              n
              +
              1
            
          
        
        
        
          
            1
            
              4
              n
              +
              3
            
          
        
        +
        
          
            
              2
              
                8
              
            
            
              10
              n
              +
              1
            
          
        
        
        
          
            
              2
              
                6
              
            
            
              10
              n
              +
              3
            
          
        
        
        
          
            
              2
              
                2
              
            
            
              10
              n
              +
              5
            
          
        
        
        
          
            
              2
              
                2
              
            
            
              10
              n
              +
              7
            
          
        
        +
        
          
            1
            
              10
              n
              +
              9
            
          
        
      
      )
    
  

{\displaystyle \pi ={\frac {1}{2^{6}}}\sum _{n=0}^{\infty }{\frac {(-1)^{n}}{2^{10n}}}\left(-{\frac {2^{5}}{4n+1}}-{\frac {1}{4n+3}}+{\frac {2^{8}}{10n+1}}-{\frac {2^{6}}{10n+3}}-{\frac {2^{2}}{10n+5}}-{\frac {2^{2}}{10n+7}}+{\frac {1}{10n+9}}\right)}

== Efficient methods == Many other expressions for π were developed and published by Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. He worked with mathematician Godfrey Harold Hardy in England for a number of years. Extremely long decimal expansions of π are typically computed with the GaussLegendre algorithm and Borwein's algorithm; the SalaminBrent algorithm, which was invented in 1976, has also been used. In 1997, David H. Bailey, Peter Borwein and Simon Plouffe published a paper (Bailey, 1997) on a new formula for π as an infinite series:

    π
    =
    
      ∑
      
        k
        =
        0
      
      
        ∞
      
    
    
      
        1
        
          16
          
            k
          
        
      
    
    
      (
      
        
          
            4
            
              8
              k
              +
              1
            
          
        
        
        
          
            2
            
              8
              k
              +
              4
            
          
        
        
        
          
            1
            
              8
              k
              +
              5
            
          
        
        
        
          
            1
            
              8
              k
              +
              6
            
          
        
      
      )
    
    .
  

{\displaystyle \pi =\sum _{k=0}^{\infty }{\frac {1}{16^{k}}}\left({\frac {4}{8k+1}}-{\frac {2}{8k+4}}-{\frac {1}{8k+5}}-{\frac {1}{8k+6}}\right).}

This formula permits one to fairly readily compute the kth binary or hexadecimal digit of π, without having to compute the preceding k 1 digits. Bailey's website contains the derivation as well as implementations in various programming languages. The PiHex project computed 64 bits around the quadrillionth bit of π (which turns out to be 0). Fabrice Bellard further improved on BBP with his formula:

    π
    =
    
      
        1
        
          2
          
            6
          
        
      
    
    
      ∑
      
        n
        =
        0
      
      
        ∞
      
    
    
      
        
          
            (
            
            1
            )
          
          
            n
          
        
        
          2
          
            10
            n
          
        
      
    
    
      (
      
        
        
          
            
              2
              
                5
              
            
            
              4
              n
              +
              1
            
          
        
        
        
          
            1
            
              4
              n
              +
              3
            
          
        
        +
        
          
            
              2
              
                8
              
            
            
              10
              n
              +
              1
            
          
        
        
        
          
            
              2
              
                6
              
            
            
              10
              n
              +
              3
            
          
        
        
        
          
            
              2
              
                2
              
            
            
              10
              n
              +
              5
            
          
        
        
        
          
            
              2
              
                2
              
            
            
              10
              n
              +
              7
            
          
        
        +
        
          
            1
            
              10
              n
              +
              9
            
          
        
      
      )
    
  

{\displaystyle \pi ={\frac {1}{2^{6}}}\sum _{n=0}^{\infty }{\frac {{(-1)}^{n}}{2^{10n}}}\left(-{\frac {2^{5}}{4n+1}}-{\frac {1}{4n+3}}+{\frac {2^{8}}{10n+1}}-{\frac {2^{6}}{10n+3}}-{\frac {2^{2}}{10n+5}}-{\frac {2^{2}}{10n+7}}+{\frac {1}{10n+9}}\right)}

Other formulae that have been used to compute estimates of π include:

        π
        2
      
    
    =
    
      ∑
      
        k
        =
        0
      
      
        ∞
      
    
    
      
        
          k
          !
        
        
          (
          2
          k
          +
          1
          )
          !
          !
        
      
    
    =
    
      ∑
      
        k
        =
        0
      
      
        ∞
      
    
    
      
        
          
            2
            
              k
            
          
          k
          
            !
            
              2
            
          
        
        
          (
          2
          k
          +
          1
          )
          !
        
      
    
    =
    1
    +
    
      
        1
        3
      
    
    
      (
      
        1
        +
        
          
            2
            5
          
        
        
          (
          
            1
            +
            
              
                3
                7
              
            
            
              (
              
                1
                +
                ⋯
              
              )
            
          
          )
        
      
      )
    
  

{\displaystyle {\frac {\pi }{2}}=\sum _{k=0}^{\infty }{\frac {k!}{(2k+1)!!}}=\sum _{k=0}^{\infty }{\frac {2^{k}k!^{2}}{(2k+1)!}}=1+{\frac {1}{3}}\left(1+{\frac {2}{5}}\left(1+{\frac {3}{7}}\left(1+\cdots \right)\right)\right)}

Newton.