Pi à la Mode

Mathematicians tackle the seeming randomness of pi's digits

Memorizing the digits of pi–the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter–presents a hefty challenge to anyone undertaking that quixotic exercise. Starting with 3.14159265, the decimal digits of pi run on forever, and there is no discernible pattern to ease the task.

This irregular landscape represents the form that emerges when a computer plots the first 1 million decimal digits of pi as a random walk.