(the title says “circle number”, but there is no appropriate english translation that i could find)

  • lugal@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 month ago

    The thing is, 2π is quite often for sure, but 1π isn’t that rare and doubling is so much easier than halving that π still wins against τ

    • sik0fewl@lemmy.ca
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      1 month ago

      It’s just more intuitive to use tau.

      Take for example, the area of a circle.

      If we define circumference as C = τr, then we can actually just use the general formula for an area of a polygon (A = 1/2 p a), which for a circle (infinite-sided polygon) becomes A = 1/2 τr r. C=p and r=a is just circle vs polygon language.

      Of course πr^2 is the same formula, it’s just obscured a little bit more. But now you can see why it’s not always 2π - it’s because we actually did divide tau in half.

      Anyway, I just think its kinda neat. I don’t think tau will catch on though 🙂.

      • Another Catgirl@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        1 month ago

        Please label your variables! Here’s a table for you to fill in:

        • | name | meaning | dimension |
        • | r | radius of a circle | length |

        By providing this information, you make your math more accessible!

        • sik0fewl@lemmy.ca
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          1 month ago

          Sorry, I would have done a better job, but that post was already super tedious to do in mobile. And r is the only variable I failed to define at all, but I figured people with opinions on pi would already know that one 🙂

    • agamemnonymous
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      1 month ago

      π is the ratio between a circle’s diameter and its circumference. While diameter was much easier to measure historically, that ratio is unnecessarily arbitrary.

      τ is the ratio between a circle’s radius and circumference. The radius much more directly defines a circle, so τ is the more fundamental ratio.

      ½τ more obviously indicates the geometric significance of its coefficient than 2π.

  • vfsh@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 month ago

    3.141592653589793238? Nah
    6.283185307179586476? Nah
    9.869604401089358618? Yeah

    Edit (x5) edits are hard