more integer spaces

[korgul]

I am trying to determine the value of Pi, just for the heck of it. The problem I am running into is the number of spaces that I can use.

dim answer
answer = 22 / 7
msgbox (answer)

I tried writing it to a txt file but still get limited by a set amount of spaces. Is there a way to tell it to use X amout of spaces for the answer.

Here is what I have for writing to the txt file

dim answer

Function WriteLineToFile
   Const ForReading = 1, ForWriting = 2
   Dim fso, f
   Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
   Set f = fso.OpenTextFile("c:\my documents\scripts\testfile.txt", ForWriting, True)
   f.WriteLine answer
   Set f = fso.OpenTextFile("c:\my documents\scripts\testfile.txt", ForReading)
   WriteLineToFile = f.ReadAll
End Function

answer = 22 / 7
writelinetofile

any ideas on how I can do this?

[qball]

sure,

make a circle, measure the area.

determine PI.

a=PI*r**2.

OR

PI=a/r**2???

[korgul]

qball

what I am trying to do is have the above script run and determine Pi to the 100th place value.

When I run the script I get this for an answer

3.14285714285714

It repeats which we all know is not supposed to happen with Pi.

[howste]

That doesn't look right. Pi isn't 22/7, that's just an approximation.

This is pi (ok, just the beginning of pi): 3.14159265358979

But I don't know how to answer your question about getting it to display (or write to a file) to the 100th decimal.

[qball]

what I am trying to do is have the above script run and determine Pi to the 100th place value.

how do you think they built the pyramids?

oops, that was easier.

to determine any number to any degree, one must have place to put?

so you need 101+ memory locations? store each value, right?

pi has been defined to the nth degree.

think of it this way, or not.

9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

is a huge number.

9999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

is a small string.

[nukes]

Pi is normally calculated by means of a series (normally the Chudnovskys brothers' method - can't remember how to spell it)
You need to watch out for rounding errors, and I would advise you to look hard at your floating-point handling code. The standard library functions aren't good enough for this, so do some research into fp arithmatic in binary form and how the computer works with it.

double calculate_pi(int terms) {
double calcpi = x =0;
for(i==n: i = 0:i++)
x = 4 * (-1) ^ i / (2 * i + 1);
calcpi += x ;
return calcpi; }

As you can see, this is constructed from a series. It is dependant on the number of terms to what accuracy. If you are indeed just using double, then you may want to truncate the number at each term to avoid rounding errors.

[qball]

Pi is normally calculated by means of...

so, nobody tried?

"make a circle, measure the area."

[korgul]

It seems that everyone is stuck on Pi.

It can be any number I just need to know how to make more places for the numbers.

If I have any division problem that when calculated needs the answer to be to the 23 place value. How do I add those places values with out the script rounding off till then.

I only used Pi because that is one that I know will reach way out there, as far a digits.

So I am not so much worried about how to figure out Pi, but am more interested in finding out how to have an answer have an unlimited amount of digits.

[Gait_Keeper]

http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/pi/

http://www.angio.net/pi/piquery

[qball]

Gait_Keeper,

whoa! awesome links.

korgul,

good enough answer.

The only time I had to calc PI was only a simple programming exercise to 7/8/9 digits.

I have to believe most calcs of PI will ultimately store result in some sort of string var(maybe more than one var). as in:

String result = "":
//code to calc PI 1 digit at a time.
result += digit;
//test result not getting bigger than string, if bigger, use a string array
print result;