Queer Google developer smashes pi world record
Emma Haruka Iwao calculated pi to 31 trillion digits, smashing the previous record of 22 trillion. (Google)
A queer software engineer at Google has calculated the length of the number pi to a new world record.
Emma Haruka Iwao, a developer advocate for the Google Cloud Platform, managed to calculate pi to 31 trillion digits, surpassing the previous record of 22 trillion, reports BBC.
Iwao, who is based in Seattle, USA, achieved the feat by using Google’s cloud computing service.
Emma Haruka Iwao calculates record length of pi with help from Google
Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It is represented by the Greek letter “π.”
“I am still trying to adjust to the reality. The world record has been really hard.”
—Emma Haruka Iwao
Although the first digits of pi are well known as 3.14, the number is infinite in length.
As pi follows no pattern, it is difficult to extend the sequence of its digits.
Google announced the news to coincide with Pi Day. (Google)
Iwao’s calculation took 121 days to finish and needed 25 virtual machines.
It used 170TB of data. In comparison, 1TB of data makes up around 200,000 music tracks.
Google software engineer is “trying to adjust to the realty”
Google revealed the news to coincide with Pi Day on March 14.
“I feel very surprised,” Iwao told BBC of breaking the world record.
“I am still trying to adjust to the reality. The world record has been really hard.”
On her Tiwtter, Iwao describes herself as: “Neutral Good with Lawful Evil traits / Developer Advocate for Google Cloud Platform / Software engineer, gamer, queer, and feminist.”
BEST. #PiDay. EVER.
See how Seattle-based, Googler @Yuryu, used Google Cloud to calculate 31.4 trillion digits of Pi for a new world record. This is the first time π has been calculated using the cloud. Take that supercomputers!Learn more here → https://t.co/LbDJ9C0oyJ pic.twitter.com/0luCUjyxda
— Google Developers (@googledevs) March 14, 2019
Pi is regularly used by physicists, engineers and space explorers. The value is used in mathematical equations for circles, cylinders and waves.
US government space agency Nasa has said it has used pi in multiple ways, including to establish the size of parachute needed to send a device to Mars’ surface, and to get a spaceship to brake so that it enters a planet’s orbit.
