Bailey–Borwein–Plouffe formula
Overview
Spigot algorithm
A spigot algorithm is a type of algorithm used to compute the value of a mathematical constant such as π or e. Unlike recursive algorithms, a spigot algorithm yields digits incrementally without using previously computed digits...
for the computation of the nth binary digit of π
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...
. This summation
Summation
Summation is the operation of adding a sequence of numbers; the result is their sum or total. If numbers are added sequentially from left to right, any intermediate result is a partial sum, prefix sum, or running total of the summation. The numbers to be summed may be integers, rational numbers,...
formula was discovered in 1995 by Simon Plouffe
Simon Plouffe
Simon Plouffe is a Quebec mathematician born on June 11, 1956 in Saint-Jovite, Quebec. He discovered the formula for the BBP algorithm which permits the computation of the nth binary digit of π, in 1995...
. The formula is named after the authors of the paper in which the formula was published, David H. Bailey
David H. Bailey
David Harold Bailey is a mathematician and computer scientist. He received his B.S. in mathematics from Brigham Young University in 1972 and his Ph.D. in mathematics from Stanford University in 1976...
, Peter Borwein
Peter Borwein
Peter Benjamin Borwein is a Canadian mathematicianand a professor at Simon Fraser University. He is known as a co-discoverer of the Bailey-Borwein-Plouffe algorithm for computing π.-First interest in mathematics:...
, and Simon Plouffe
Simon Plouffe
Simon Plouffe is a Quebec mathematician born on June 11, 1956 in Saint-Jovite, Quebec. He discovered the formula for the BBP algorithm which permits the computation of the nth binary digit of π, in 1995...
. Before that paper, it had been published by Plouffe on his own site. The formula is
