Dr. Daniel Orr Finds Pi in Surprising Places

On 3.14, we  celebrate all things π by revisiting  Professor Andy Norton's interview with Professor Daniel Orr on suprising appearances of π. Did you know that π  isn't just about circles and geometry? Dr. Orr explains how π pops up in a probability problem about prime numbers.

Question: what is the probability that two whole numbers will be relatively prime (share no common factors)?

Answer: 6/π²

As Dr. Orr explains, this solution comes from the Riemann zeta function. 

Don't forget the College of Science Virginia Tech Pi Day 5K Challenge is today - that’s 3.14 miles. Whether you plan to run, swim, bike your 3.14 miles – it’s bound to be great!