Pi Chart - Visual Art of 1000 Digits

Pi is a truly remarkable concept. As a mathematical constant that has yet to have a final number because the pattern does not repeat.

Visualizing pi as a long string of numbers is easy, and rather dull. If there was some way to demonstrate the irrational seemingly chaotic nature that is pi in a much more pleasing to the eye method.

Ah! There is.

My Pi Chart actually shows the first 1000 digits of pi. It serves absolutely no purpose other than decoration. I really like the symmetry of it, even though pi does not have a pattern in itself. I think it makes a unique piece of art or display that could actually be hung in any math class.

This is how I made my Pi Chart - Visual Art.

• 5 gallon plastic bucket – I chose a bucket because it is already a circle and being plastic is easy to work with.
• 10 – 1.25” machine bolts
• 20 nuts to the machine bolts
• 10 washers that fit on the bolts
• 10 grommets (Curved washers)
• 300 yards of embroidery thread
• Super glue
• Keys 0-9 from a dead keyboard

Tools

• Hacksaw or sharp knife
• Drill with bit the same size as the bolts
• Screwdriver
• Needle-nose pliers
• Cloth measuring tape
• Tape
• Marker
• Printout of pi to 1000 places

1. First, I had to prep the frame ring of my chart.
2. With the drill, I made a pilot hole under the lip structure of the bucket.
3. With the knife, I carefully cut around the bucket starting at the pilot hole.
4. I removed the handle from the ring.
5. With the cloth measuring tape, I measured the outside circumference of the ring. I found securing it with tape made this easier. (The circumference to my ring came out to an even 100 centimeters.)
6. I divided this by 10. (This made the even spacing for my 10 numerals.) Easily enough, it came out to every 10 cm.
7. With the tape measure, I marked off every 10 cm with the marker. I made the marks on the part of the ring between the edge and the heavy structure where the handle was connected.
8. Finally, I drilled a hole at all 10 marks around the ring.

1. First, I prepared the bolts by adding one nut and one grommet to each bolt. I inserted the grommets upside down, making the curve toward the open end of the bolt. I did it this way, because the holes in the ring are just against the curvature of the structure and a regular flat washer would dig into the plastic.
2. Next, I inserted the bolt from the outside of the ring into the drilled holes.
3. Then, I added a washer and another nut.
4. I adjusted it so the last nut was just to the end of the bolt.
5. I tightened (or is it loosened) the middle nut back toward the other nut, sandwiching the plastic ring between the nuts.
6. Using the needle-nose pliers, I tightened the outside nut while holding the bolt with the screwdriver. Doing it this way prevented the inside nut from turning and loosening.
7. I left about 1 inch of bolt sticking out from the ring.
8. I repeated for the remaining 9 bolts.

1. First, I added a piece of tape on the heavy structure ring at every bolt.
2. With the marker, I wrote the numbers 0-9 on the tape pieces. This labeled the bolts.
3. Next, I made a loop in the thread and tied it to bolt labeled 3.
4. From bolt 3, I ran the string over to bolt 1, looped it around, then 4, looped it around, then back to 1, etc. I made sure to keep the thread tight, but not too tight to break it!
5. After every 100 digits, I added super glue to the embroidery thread on the bolt to prevent it from unwinding.
6. Continue on as long as you choose. I stopped at 1000 digits. The 1000th digit is 8. NOTE: The 1000th digit of pi is 8 because the 3 is the first digit, but the 1000th decimal place is actually 9.
7. I tied off the thread at 8 and added a little more glue to hold it.
8. Next, I snipped off the remaining thread.
9. I removed half the taped numbers. (Not all! You have to know where the actually numerals begin!)
10. I glued the keyboard keys in place, indicating the numerals.

There you have it! That is how I made my Pi Chart - Visual Art of 1000 Digits!

I hope you enjoyed this.

And as always, thank you for checking out my Instructable!