epi - pi

Discover the surprising value of e^pi - pi and why it's considered just a coincidence in mathematics. Explore the intricacies now!

Written byPhil Plait
| 1 min read
Google NewsGoogle News Preferred Source

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

I didn't know this! From a recent XKCD comic:

This is correct! The value of e^pi - pi is 19.999099979 (plus a trailing infinite list of numbers). I strongly suspect this is just a coincidence -- after all, why not pi^e - pi (19.317565) or pi^e - e (19.740875)? If you pick enough numbers, one of them is bound to come out near an integer coincidentally. Hoagland bases his whole "Face on Mars" nonsense on this numerology fallacy. It's funny how coincidences seem like more than they are. Our brains are wired for that sort of thing.

Meet the Author

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe