Pi Memorization

This became one of my hobbies somewhat accidentally, when I was introduced to one of the classic Pi Songs early in elementary school, listened to it on repeat, and learned the first several dozen digits just like any other song lyrics. Gradually I reached the end of the song (~200 digits) by the end of 5th grade, the year when I first participated in and won a recitation contest organized by my school for Pi Day (March 14th). In 6th grade, leading up to that year’s contest, a several-days-long race between me and one of my classmates to learn the most digits ended with me coming in second place, which motivated me to push to 700 digits the following year, allowing me to reclaim the title (even though that classmate ultimately declined to compete a second time). At this point, the intellectual exercise and meditative zone that this activity provided me access to was sufficient to propel me to 5,000 digits by my 9th grade Pi Day, after which I felt largely satisfied with this accomplishment. During the early days of the Covid pandemic, I made another push to 7,000 digits, which essentially remains my personal record.

As part of my membership in the Cornell Astronomical Society, it was my initiative to organize the 1st and 2nd annual Pi Day celebrations, a tradition which I hope will continue. I would eventually like to reach the landmark of 10,000 digits as well.