How to calculate Pi by throwing frozen hot dogs
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How to calculate Pi by throwing frozen hot dogs
I don't see how this could possibly work. Anybody (Magician) got a theory?? 
From http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Pi-by-Thr...Frozen-Hot-Dogs
1. Select your food item to throw. There are a couple of qualifications. First, it must be long, thin, and straight, like a frozen hot dog, for example. There are lots of other items that fit this criterion including Otter Pops, celery sticks, and churros. (If you simply can't come to grips with throwing perfectly good food, see the Tips section for some additional ideas.) Second, it must be a reasonably stiff item. Third, it should be somewhere between six and eighteen inches long. The experiment can be performed otherwise, but read on, and you will see why this size is optimal.
2. Select the spot from where you will throw your mathematical cuisine. You will probably need about 6-10 feet in front of you as you will be throwing straight ahead.
3. Clear the area. The place at which you are throwing should be devoid of objects that your food item could possibly run in to. So, if you are throwing in your kitchen, consider moving the table into another room or at least throwing in such a way that your food won't hit the table during its flight.
4. Measure the length of your projectile (i.e. your frozen hot dogs). A tape measure should do the trick. Be as accurate as you can, even down to the millimeter, for best results.
5. Lay down masking tape in parallel strips across the floor as far apart as your projectile is long. The strips should be perpendicular to the direction you will be throwing (see picture below). Do about 6-10 strips if your item is 6-18 inches long; fewer, if longer; more, if shorter.
6. Get a piece of paper and across the top make a column for
From http://www.wikihow.com/Calculate-Pi-by-Thr...Frozen-Hot-Dogs
1. Select your food item to throw. There are a couple of qualifications. First, it must be long, thin, and straight, like a frozen hot dog, for example. There are lots of other items that fit this criterion including Otter Pops, celery sticks, and churros. (If you simply can't come to grips with throwing perfectly good food, see the Tips section for some additional ideas.) Second, it must be a reasonably stiff item. Third, it should be somewhere between six and eighteen inches long. The experiment can be performed otherwise, but read on, and you will see why this size is optimal.
2. Select the spot from where you will throw your mathematical cuisine. You will probably need about 6-10 feet in front of you as you will be throwing straight ahead.
3. Clear the area. The place at which you are throwing should be devoid of objects that your food item could possibly run in to. So, if you are throwing in your kitchen, consider moving the table into another room or at least throwing in such a way that your food won't hit the table during its flight.
4. Measure the length of your projectile (i.e. your frozen hot dogs). A tape measure should do the trick. Be as accurate as you can, even down to the millimeter, for best results.
5. Lay down masking tape in parallel strips across the floor as far apart as your projectile is long. The strips should be perpendicular to the direction you will be throwing (see picture below). Do about 6-10 strips if your item is 6-18 inches long; fewer, if longer; more, if shorter.
6. Get a piece of paper and across the top make a column for
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just my thoughts, but the key is that you end up with an approximation of pi, not pi itself. so it's probably just that the chances of the stick being a "cross" is approximately 2:1 (2 crosses for every 3 tosses).
thus, [2 * (3x)]/2x = ~3. just my guess.
thus, [2 * (3x)]/2x = ~3. just my guess.
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From: Scatterbrainia
Interesting. I spent the past hour or so trying this.
Out of 201 tosses (I thought it was 200, ended up being 201), I would have needed exactly 128 "crosses" in order to get closest to Pi.
I got exactly 128 crosses.
3.14063
A deviation of 0.031 PERCENT from true Pi (3.14159).
Go figure.
Out of 201 tosses (I thought it was 200, ended up being 201), I would have needed exactly 128 "crosses" in order to get closest to Pi.
I got exactly 128 crosses.
3.14063
A deviation of 0.031 PERCENT from true Pi (3.14159).
Go figure.