Nth digit of PI

[Mark Jackson]

Rajarshi Ray <rajarshi at home.com> writes:

> Besides the gee-whiz aspect of such algorithms, do they have any value?
> After all, what makes pi pi is ALL of its digits in a particular
> sequence.

Well, if you're captured by an alien who asserts that s/he has
calculated pi to a gazillion decimal places, and your survival depends
on determining whether the claim is true or not, you can check a few
digits at random and either be certain it's false or 99.99. . .% sure
it's true.  Never know when *that's* going to come in handy; in fact
IIRC this very plot was once used on McGyver.

-- 
Mark Jackson - http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~mjackson
	You can never solve all difficulties at once.
				- Paul Dirac