No. 3.141592 · Chance · galley proof
Needles
π, found by dropping things.
Draw straight lines across a sheet of paper, each one a toothpick's length from the next. Drop a toothpick on it, again and again, and count how often it lands across a line.
Floors have been answering it ever since.
It crosses about 64 times in every 100. The exact share is two divided by π. The Comte de Buffon asked this question in the 1700s. Floors have been answering it ever since.
Drop enough toothpicks and you can work π backwards from your count. It takes a while: ten thousand drops usually gets you within a few hundredths.
No needles yet. The lines are one needle-length apart.
Cite “Needles.” Wondering About Pi, no. 3.141592 (24 September 2026). wap.mom/needles/