# 3.14159265358979323... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [September 12, 2000, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-14159265358979323/32947 "2000-09-12T21:28:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![straightdope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@straightdope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straightdope)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2000, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-14159265358979323/32947/1 "2000-09-12T21:28:48Z")
It’s a straight line, not a circle! That’s right! By default, all circles are straight lines in an infinitly small convergence. Existence, or the mere placement of masses causes the dillusion that space between the converged lines has a finite value above 0 when in fact this space is and will always be 0. Only things of mass, such as humans, can be deceived while all other things don’t exist. Therefor pi is just a measurement on how bent our visions really are from our straight but doped reality. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2000, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-14159265358979323/32947/2 "2000-09-12T22:36:14Z")
Welcome to the SDMB, and thank you for posting your comment. Please include a link to Cecil’s column if it’s on the straight dope web site. To include a link, it can be as simple as including the web page location in your post (make sure there is a space **before** and **after** the text of the URL). Cecil’s column can be found on-line at this link: [How do scientists go about calculating pi to umpteen decimal places? (16-March-1990)](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_357.html) The column can also be found on pages 357-358 of Cecil Adams’ book “[_Return of the Straight Dope_](http://www.straightdope.com/otheroutlets/books.html)”. * * * moderator, “[Comments on Cecil’s Columns](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/forumdisplay.php?forumid=1)” forum ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2000, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-14159265358979323/32947/3 "2000-09-12T22:38:10Z")
As far as the original post, all I can express is a sense of confusion, and how better to show it than with one of the emoticons provided by the wonderful makers of the vBulletin message board software? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![MJH2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@MJH2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MJH2)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2000, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-14159265358979323/32947/4 "2000-09-13T18:09:10Z")
_I’m_ still puzzling over exactly what “dillusion” is… ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2000, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-14159265358979323/32947/5 "2000-09-14T07:05:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MJH2 \* > \*\*_I’m_ still puzzling over exactly what “dillusion” is… \*\* It means we’re in a pickle. On the other hand, I still maintain that Neil Basescu’s criticism of Cecil at that link is unfounded, and Cecil caved too early. As near as I can tell, Neil’s calculations are off. ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2000, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-14159265358979323/32947/6 "2000-09-14T20:35:16Z")
\*\*straightdope wrote: It’s a straight line, not a circle! That’s right! By default, all circles are straight lines in an infinitly small convergence. Existence, or the mere placement of masses causes the dillusion that space between the converged lines has a finite value above 0 when in fact this space is and will always be 0. Only things of mass, such as humans, can be deceived while all other things don’t exist. Therefor pi is just a measurement on how bent our visions really are from our straight but doped reality.\*\* I’ll admit math was never my best subject but… you seem to be giving a label to a pure number. Pi is the ratio between a circle’s circumference and its diameter. And **straightdope’s** comment about _Only things of mass, such as humans,…_ seems to mix Euclidean and non-Euclidean geometry.😕 ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-14159265358979323/32947/7 "2000-09-15T06:27:27Z")
Don’t use the name ‘straightdope’ if you are going to write incoherent technobabble doublespeak. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2000, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-14159265358979323/32947/8 "2000-09-15T12:19:20Z")
I believe that impostiture has been … um… handled. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2000, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-14159265358979323/32947/9 "2000-09-17T02:03:25Z")
If the OP could explain his above rantings, I’d be much obliged. Circles are, by definition, not straight. They are single-edged networks without nodes. A line segment is a single-edged network with two nodes. A line, as in an infinite line in the Euclidian sense, is another single-edged network without nodes. However, a circle can be viewed as a finite whole (it bounds a finite area), whereas a line can only be suggested (it bounds an infinite area). This is because the circle is recursive, meaning that it meets itself. A recursive object cannot be straight. Therefore, a circle is not straight. (Never thought I’d have to prove that. :D) ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2000, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-14159265358979323/32947/10 "2000-09-17T03:38:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > **Never thought I’d have to prove that.** Betcha can’t. ---
**Author:** ![Sequent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Sequent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sequent)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2000, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3-14159265358979323/32947/11 "2000-09-22T02:00:57Z")
I’m thinking “disillusion” = “illusion” and “deceived” = “perceived,” but I could be wrong.