ACM / IEEE Computer Society: "More Fun with Pi"

PRINCETON ACM / IEEE COMPUTER SOCIETY
MARCH 2026 JOINT MEETING

"More Fun with Pi" - Mike Keith

Abstract:
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. In this talk we will present a carefully curated selection of serious and recreational algorithms related to pi. Among our topics will be: elegant formulas for pi, the current state-of-the-art algorithm for computing many digits, computing pi with very small programs, clever approximations for pi, and a deep dive into Pilish: a constrained dialect of English in which the number of letters in successive words matches the digits of pi.

Speaker's Biography:
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.

Date: Thursday March 19, 2026, 8:00 PM EST
(Note: Refreshments and networking start early - 7:30pm.)
Place: HYBRID MEETING (both in-person and online) - speaker will be in person this month
In Person: Princeton University Friend Center, Room 004
79 William St., Princeton NJ

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/)

Online (Zoom) connection information:
https://zoom.us/j/88661266635?pwd=rAPnHOXToW9h7PHI9vSNz2Da07Yuaq.1
(Or go to http://zoom.us, use meeting number 88661266635 and passcode - 031926)

On-line meeting notice:
https://PrincetonACM.acm.org/meetings/mtg2603.pdf

Princeton ACM / IEEE Computer Society meetings for the 2025-26 season will be "hybrid." You have a choice: attend the talk in-person, or view the meeting online from home.

For the March meeting, the pre-meeting dinner site will be at Metro North restaurant on Alexander Rd. in Princeton. 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.

=====================

Future Princeton ACM/ IEEE Computer Society Meetings:

Saturday Mar. 14 - 16th IEEE Integrated STEM Education Conference (ISEC '26) - at Princeton University, McDonnell Hall - full-day program - https://ewh.ieee.org/conf/stem/
Thursday Apr. 16 - Natural Language Processing, Michael Bloodgood, TCNJ (at TCNJ)
Thursday May 21 - Python, Nitin Madnani, Duolingo (location TBA)
Thursday Jun. 11 - Annual Elections and Planning Meeting (location TBA)