ACM / IEEE Computer Society: "Fun with Pi: A Potpourri of Pilish Algorithms"

PRINCETON ACM / IEEE COMPUTER SOCIETY CHAPTERS
MARCH, 2025 JOINT MEETING

"Fun With Pi: A Potpourri of Pilish Algorithms" - Mike Keith

---> LOCATION CHANGE: Princeton University Friend Center, lower level, room 006 (Friend Center is adjacent to the Computer Science Building, on the corner of Olden Street and William Street.)

Since its first documented appearance about four millennia ago, the number pi has become not just an oft-encountered constant in mathematics and physics but a cultural phenomenon, with numerous appearances in books, artworks, TV shows, and films. This talk will discuss a handful of these somewhat recreational aspects of pi, each of which turns out to have non-trivial connections to serious mathematics and/or computer algorithms. Among our topics will be curious features of pi's digits, memorizing the digits using a human-based algorithm, pi in graphic design, the most beautiful digit-computing algorithm, and the wonders of Pilish: a constrained dialect of English in which the number of letters in successive words matches the digits of pi.

Michael Keith is a retired software engineer who was employed at Bell Labs, the David Sarnoff Research Center, Intel, and a small startup (Ambric), focusing primarily on computer graphics and audio/video compression algorithms. His abiding interest in the number pi started with Martin Gardner's column in the July 1960 Scientific American and grew over the years to include many facets of this fascinating number, such as those that will be discussed in this presentation. Mike's 2010 book of stories and poems, "Not A Wake," is the only book ever published written entirely in Pilish. Mike also hosts a webpage (http://www.cadaeic.net) with links to many useful facts and resources about pi.

The Fun With Pi event will also feature a performance by Bill Agress, who will appear in the guise of Albert Einstein. Bill is the leading Einstein re-enactor on the East Coast. He is the official Albert Einstein for Pi Day Princeton, and he has lectured as Einstein at Princeton University. Bill lives in Lawrenceville NJ, and he is also active as a Revolutionary War re-enactor. Come and ask Bill questions about Einstein's life, as well as about relativity and pi! Learn more about Bill at https://patriotgenius.com.

Date: Thursday March 20, 2025, 8:00 PM EST
(Note: Refreshments and networking start early - 7:30 PM.)

Place: HYBRID MEETING (both in-person and online)

In Person: **UPDATED LOCATION**
Princeton University Friend Center, room 006 [lower level]
79 William St., Princeton NJ (Friend Center is adjacent to the Computer Science Building, on the corner of Olden Street and William Street.)

How to register for the online meeting:
Send email to PrincetonACM {AT} gmail {DOT} com
OR Register on Meetup.com https://www.meetup.com/ieee-princeton-central-jersey-section

Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81723484223?pwd=5MFB5cbnJ1GWhldcp8Gj9NuAGiFZ0g.1
(Or go to http://zoom.us, use meeting number 81723484223 and passcode - 032025)
On-line meeting notice: https://PrincetonACM.acm.org/meetings/mtg2503.pdf

Princeton ACM / IEEE Computer Society meetings for the 2024-25 season will be "hybrid." You have a choice: attend the talk in-person, or view the meeting online from home. To join the online, you must register in advance, and you will receive an email with instructions for how to connect to the talk.

Pre-meeting dinner: For the March meeting, the pre-meeting dinner will be held at 5:30 p.m. at Salt Creek Grille, 1 Rockingham Row, Princeton (in Princeton Forrestal Village west of US 1 off of College Rd. Please send email to PrincetonACM {AT} gmail {DOT} com in advance if you plan to attend the dinner.

All Princeton ACM / IEEE Computer Society meetings are open to the public. Students and their parents are welcome. There is no admission charge, and refreshments are served.

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Future Princeton ACM/ IEEE Computer Society Meetings

Saturday Mar. 29 - TCF 2025 (at The College of New Jersey, 10:00am-5:00pm, admission $20)

• 11 tracks of tech talks, tutorials, robot battles, keynote speakers
• co-sponsored by The College of New Jersey, Princeton ACM / IEEE Computer Society, Amateur Computer Group of New Jersey
• full information and online registration at https://tcf-nj.org

Thursday Apr. 17 - "Getting Started with MongoDB," Michael Redlich (at The College of New Jersey, building and room TBA)

Tuesday May 6 - TBA

Thursday Jun. 12 - Annual Elections and Planning Meeting