I got started being interested in pi when I visited my brother last month and my 14 year old nephew told me he would get an extra 30 points in math if he could memorize pi to the 74th decimal place. I helped him figure out ways to remember the numbers and am happy to say that my nephew called me a couple of weeks ago to tell me that he did get the extra points.I never memorized numbers longer than 16 digits before (my credit card numbers) or rather 19 numbers if you can really count my checking number which includes the routing number. I was curious to find out how far I can memorize pi. I have adopted the credit card system, by separating the numbers in pi in groups of 4s. So far I am only up to the 30th group of 4's. That's 120 numbers. Wow!!! Not being a genius, and being a grandma, I am rather impressed with myself, LOL!!!
So I have issued a challenge to my 3 children, my 4 grandchildren that I would pay $1 for each group of 4's they could remember both in sequence and at random. Thus each would be able to earn up to $60.
I love to play blackjack, therefore I remember pi by associating the numbers with the game.
For instance: group 2 is 9265 = 2 double down hands, group 4 is 7932 = 21, group 5 is 3846 = 21, group 8 is 7950 = 21, group 15 is 4944 = 21, group 21 is 8628, happy that the dealer has 3 eights instead of 3 sevens! :)
Group 16 = 5923, my ex husband's work extension, not that I care because I don't have his phone number (I deleted them from my cell phone as well as from my own memory). :))
I was born in the 105th group of 4's in pi after the decimal point. I told my 3 kids I would give them $200 each if they tell me theirs...well I'm just relieved that I have only 3 children. I would be broke otherwise, heh! I had to tell my nieces and youngest son's fiancee the offer was good only for my 3 children, much to their dismay.
Well, I've just memorized 3 more groups. Maybe I will let the kids to up to 50, depending on how far I can go by Feb. 16 weekend, which is when I will see all of the grand/kids. First I will demonstrate that even I can recite the numbers, sequentially or at random. So I am not asking them to memorize anything that their old mother/grandma cannot do herself. Oh, I'm up to group 36 now.
-- (February 4, 2007) on Frequency of Each Digit of Pi