Q&A for How to Calculate Pi by Throwing Frozen Hot Dogs

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Can I do this during my exam if I don't have a calculator?

Community Answer

You can try, but your teacher might not be too happy about it!

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Why would I do this instead of using a calculator?

Community Answer

Because it's way more fun, and your teachers always said that you wouldn't always have a calculator on you.

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Why would someone do this?

MysticalExperimentation

Community Answer

Why not? Bragging rights if nothing else. How many people can say they did fancy math with frozen hot dogs, and had fun with it too?

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Question

Does it matter if they are bratwurst?

Community Answer

No. As long as they are all the same size, it will work just the same with bratwurst.

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Question

Does this actually work?

Community Answer

Under ideal conditions, yes; this experiment is mathematically sound and does give you pi exactly. Ideal conditions means that all hotdogs are perfectly straight and exactly the same length, the floor is perfectly flat, and the hotdogs are equally likely to land in any spot and any orientation.

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Question

Can I use this as my project for the science fair?

Community Answer

As long as it fulfills the requirements for entry, sure.

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Question

Does this work if I don't use frozen hot dogs, but cooked ones instead?

Community Answer

Yes, as long as they are all cooked and none of them are frozen.

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Question

What happens if I eat half the hot dog? Will this affect the results?

Sage Melocik

Community Answer

Yes, because you have altered the original projectile; it will be less aerodynamic.

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Question

Does it work if I use vegan hot dogs?

Community Answer

Yes.

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Question

Is it a considered a cross if it only crosses the line a tiny bit?

Community Answer

It doesn't really make a big difference, as this isn't exact, anyway.

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Question

Can I actually calculate Pi this way or is this a joke?

Community Answer

It does work, because the data you are recording is frequency. Take any two wavelengths and put them together and you will get an arc, half of a circle/oval. By having even units and symmetric forms during the experiment, the frequency is going to be closer and closer to a perfect circle.

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Question

Is there any difference in the result using 100% beef hot dogs, mixed meat hot dogs, or hot dogs with filler in them? Some might bounce more than others.

Community Answer

As long as you keep them all the same, what we're measuring is uniform frequency and deriving the wavelength, then we're using the amplitude to give us a circle, and not distance.

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Question

Will this work if the ground isn't level?

Community Answer

No, because the hot dogs are circular and will roll to the lowest point due to the gravitational pull of the Earth.

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Question

I don't understand. What is causing this to happen?

Community Answer

Search up the equation to determine a wavelength in frequency. What is being calculated is the amount of recurring data when everything on a 2D plane is uniform. The closer we get to a uniform frequency, the closer it's wavelength is equal to the amplitude. We then can find Pi by the two arcs in the frequency.

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Question

Why is it 2 crosses in this article? Where does the 2 come in?

Community Answer

The number two in the formula could be described as a constant. If you remove the said constant from the equation, the formula would be out of whack.

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Question

Can I substitute hamburgers for this method to calculate Pi?

Community Answer

What is being measured here is frequency. Then the equation that's given is the equation for wavelengths, which uses Pi. As long as the perpendicular lines are equal to the hamburgers in length of spacing, and your hamburgers are identical in size to each other, it will work.

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Question

Could pi still be calculated if it is thrown either over- or under-arm?

Community Answer

The throwing method doesn't matter.

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Question

Can I use bananas instead of hot dogs?

Community Answer

No. According to the Warnings section: "Resist the temptation to use bananas. Not only are they not really straight, but they really won't last more than 50 throws before creating a big mess. Really."

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Question

Can I use other items when calculating pi?

Community Answer

Yes, you could use other similarily shaped objects like lengths of wooden dowels.

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Question

What kind of hot dog works best?

Community Answer

What is being measured here is frequency. Then the equation that's given is the equation for wavelengths, which uses Pi. As long as the perpendicular lines are equal to the hotdogs in length of spacing, and your hotdogs are identical in size to each other, it will work.

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Question

What if the hot dogs are vegetarian?

Linnie

Top Answerer

This shouldn't make a difference. One of the steps is to measure the length of the food, so using a different type of food would change the length variable, but you'd still get pi as your result if you use the length of the vegetarian hot dog.

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Question

What mathematical formula explains this?

Thefizzynator

Community Answer

This is a bit involved, but here is the explanation. All possible positions and rotations can be represented in a rectangle called a phase space. Consider the distance of one edge of the hot dog against the closest parallel line, from 0 to 1 (= the length of the hot dog, for simplicity) and rotations from 0 (parallel to the lines) to half-π radians (perpendicular to the lines) to exploit symmetry. The total area of the phase space will be W×H = π/2 × 1 = π/2. The likelihood of a hot dog at an angle of θ radians intersecting a line is equal to sin(θ). It’s well-known in calculus that the integral of sin(θ) from 0 to π/2 is exactly 1. So ideally, Tosses : Crosses = π/2 × 1.

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Question

Can I eat them when I'm done?

Community Answer

Yes, but you should wash, rinse or wipe them off before doing so.

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Question

Why hot dogs? Can't you just use a calculator? Also, I don't think this would be a good idea, especially since a hot dog could attract bugs.

Community Answer

This is for people looking for a little more fun than using a calculator. Objects other than hot dogs can be used, too, as explained above. Hot dogs are just convenient. And yes, you may want to wash the floor after the exercise.

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Question

Why does this exist? Absolutely no one is going to do this. I'm not wasting food and wasting time on something I could do with a calculator.

Community Answer

You'd be surprised what some people will do just for a little fun. Besides, if the hotdogs are frozen, when you're done you can wash and boil them, and they'll still be perfectly edible.

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