Akira Haraguchi
Encyclopedia
Akira Haraguchi (born 1946), a retired Japan
ese engineer, currently working as a mental health counsellor and business consultant in Mobara City
, is known for memorizing and reciting digits of Pi
.
He set the current world record
(100,000 digits) in 16 hours, starting at 9 a.m (16:28 GMT) on October 3, 2006 and having recited up to 83,431 digits by nightfall, stopping with digit number 100,000 at 1:28 a.m. on October 4, 2006. The event was filmed in a public hall in Kisarazu, east of Tokyo
, where he had five-minute breaks every two hours to eat onigiri rice balls
to keep up his energy levels. Even his trips to the toilet were filmed to prove that the exercise was legitimate. Haraguchi's previous world record (83,431), was performed from July 1, 2005 to July 2, 2005.
Despite Haraguchi's efforts and detailed documentation, the Guinness World Records
have not yet accepted any of his records set. The Guinness-recognized record for remembered digits of π is 67,890 digits, held by Lu Chao
, a 24-year-old graduate student from China. It took him 24 hours and 4 minutes to recite to the 67,890th decimal place of π without an error.
Haraguchi views the memorization of Pi as "the religion of the universe", and as an expression of his lifelong quest for eternal truth.
symbols to numbers, allowing for the memorization of Pi as a collection of stories.
Example
0 => can be substituted by o, ra, ri, ru, re, ro, wo, on or oh;
1 => can be substituted by a, i, u, e, hi, bi, pi, an, ah, hy, hyan, bya or byan;
The same is done for each number from 2 through 9.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese engineer, currently working as a mental health counsellor and business consultant in Mobara City
Mobara, Chiba
is a city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of September 2010, the city has an estimated population of 92,449 and a population density of 924 persons per km². The total area is 100.01 km².-Geography:...
, is known for memorizing and reciting digits of Pi
Pi
' is a mathematical constant that is the ratio of any circle's circumference to its diameter. is approximately equal to 3.14. Many formulae in mathematics, science, and engineering involve , which makes it one of the most important mathematical constants...
.
He set the current world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
(100,000 digits) in 16 hours, starting at 9 a.m (16:28 GMT) on October 3, 2006 and having recited up to 83,431 digits by nightfall, stopping with digit number 100,000 at 1:28 a.m. on October 4, 2006. The event was filmed in a public hall in Kisarazu, east of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, where he had five-minute breaks every two hours to eat onigiri rice balls
Onigiri
, also known as or rice ball, is a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or oval shapes and often wrapped in nori . Traditionally, an onigiri is filled with pickled ume , salted salmon, katsuobushi, kombu, tarako, or any other salty or sour ingredient as a natural preservative...
to keep up his energy levels. Even his trips to the toilet were filmed to prove that the exercise was legitimate. Haraguchi's previous world record (83,431), was performed from July 1, 2005 to July 2, 2005.
Despite Haraguchi's efforts and detailed documentation, the Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
have not yet accepted any of his records set. The Guinness-recognized record for remembered digits of π is 67,890 digits, held by Lu Chao
Lu Chao
Lu Chao from China is the recognized Guinness record holder for reciting digits of Pi. He successfully recited 67,890 digits of pi in 24 hours and 4 minutes with an error at the 67,891st digit, saying it was a "5", when it was actually a "0". He stated he had 100,000 memorized, and was going to...
, a 24-year-old graduate student from China. It took him 24 hours and 4 minutes to recite to the 67,890th decimal place of π without an error.
Haraguchi views the memorization of Pi as "the religion of the universe", and as an expression of his lifelong quest for eternal truth.
Haraguchi's Mnemonic System
Akira Haraguchi uses a system he developed, which assigns KanaKana
Kana are the syllabic Japanese scripts, as opposed to the logographic Chinese characters known in Japan as kanji and the Roman alphabet known as rōmaji...
symbols to numbers, allowing for the memorization of Pi as a collection of stories.
Example
0 => can be substituted by o, ra, ri, ru, re, ro, wo, on or oh;
1 => can be substituted by a, i, u, e, hi, bi, pi, an, ah, hy, hyan, bya or byan;
The same is done for each number from 2 through 9.