Yep, that's p, or at least the first two hundred decimal places of it. Pi is quite possibly the most well-known transcendental number, and is a very awesome constant which keeps popping up throughout much of mathematics. Since it was first discovered that the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter remains the same no matter how big or small a circle you take, people have been interested in pi, and in approximating pi. Archimedes used 96-sided polygons to approximate a circle; others have used the fraction 22/7 which is remarkably close in value to pi, especially for so low a denominator; more recently, infinite series summing ever smaller terms have been used by computers to get closer and closer to pi (i.e., more and more digits accurate in pi's decimal representation - 1.24 trillion is the current record). Just as interesting as approximating pi, though, are the fascinating properties and characteristics held by the number itself, and its place in the overall scheme of mathematics. For more information, a gripping storyline, mnemonics to remember pi by, and quotations about the beauty of mathematics, take a look at my pi-day e-mails from the last five years:
You can also find a few pi links and a pi poem by Nobel Laureate Wislawa Szymborska on my Links and Quotes pages, respectively.
Sincerely,
The Pimaster