ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of pi

Hey there! Today we’re going to learn about something called pi. Pi is a number that is used a lot in math. It’s kind of like a secret code that helps us to find out how big or small a circle is. The number pi is about 3.14. But do you know where this number comes from and how people discovered it? Let’s find out!

A long time ago, people knew about circles but they didn’t really know how to measure them properly. They knew that the distance around the edge of the circle was longer than the distance across the middle. But they didn’t have a way to figure out how much longer it was.

Then, one day, some smart people started to wonder about circles and they came up with a plan. They decided that if they measured the distance around the circle and then divided it by the distance across the middle, they would get the answer they were looking for.

When they started doing this, they found out that the answer was always about 3.14. They decided to call this number pi. But it didn’t stop there. They kept measuring and finding out more and more numbers after the decimal point, like 3.14159265359 and on and on.

Over time, people learned more about math and they also found new ways to figure out pi. They used different tools and invented new machines to help them get a more exact answer.

Today, pi is still really important and we use it for all kinds of things in math and science. So whenever you see a circle, remember that there’s a secret code hiding inside it - the number pi!
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