What do rivers have to do with pi? Scholars view a video in the Numberphile Pi playlist that explains how pi relates to the sinuosity of rivers. On average, dividing the meandering length of the river by the straight-line length—supposedly—results in pi.

Concepts

pi, rivers

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Additional Tags

math

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Instructional Ideas

• Team up with an earth science teacher for a cross-curricular lesson
• Have pupils measure rivers on maps to see if they get similar results
  

Classroom Considerations

• Note that the video mentions advanced topics, such as fractal geometry and fluid dynamics
  

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Narrator's enthusiasm is contagious
  
• Thorough explanations make the concept easier to understand

Cons

• None