Pi
:: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: Pi
The film “Pi” is a study in madness and its partner, genius. A tortured, driven man believes (1) that mathematics is the language of the universe, (2) nature can be expressed in numbers, and (3) there are patterns everywhere in nature. If he can find the patterns, if he can find the key to the chaos, then he can predict anything–the stock market, for example. If the man is right, the mystery of existence is unlocked. If he is wrong, the inside of his brain begins to resemble a jammed stock ticker.
I’ve seen this film before and it was pretty good. What reminded me of it now is a mention it got in Slate.com’s review of The Fountain, by the same guy.
Anyway, what prompts me to post is Roger Ebert’s mention of how nature can be expressed in numbers. That’s actually true. But, as every good math student knows, the number of nature isn’t pi.
It’s e.
Posted by RebeccaHartong on November 30, 2006 under Uncategorized
I wonder if the person who wrote the original story for “Pi” didn’t already know about e. It sure seems like it. Maybe the movie guys put the kibosh on calling it “e” because they figured there would be even fewer movie-goers who’d ever heard of e than would understand what “Pi” is.
Could be.
Oh… and, if you don’t know about e, here’s an explanation.