Three point one four one five nine two six five three five…
One of the most recognizable numerical sequences in history. Everyone knows it immediately. Many could spout off the first five or ten or even fifty digits. And a few were so obsessed that they search for new ways to calculate trillions of digits in the quickest time. That’s how they used to test the speed and accuracy of supercomputers.
Eight nine seven nine three two three eight four six…
But here’s the secret, even though most already suspected. It was never necessary. Once upon a time, they could send a rocket from a planet to a moon and back again using only fifteen digits of pi. That was all the accuracy they needed.
Two six four three eight three three two seven nine…
But a colony ship, with tens of thousands of sleepers, traveling hundreds of light-years? A ship propelling itself through countless gravity-assisted flybys? For that, you need a little more accuracy to prevent errors from creeping in and accumulating.
Five zero two eight eight four one nine seven one…
Mankind knows about accumulated mistakes. That’s why we’re on this ship, taking this long ride, where I’m woken on my duty day, about once per year, to oversee the equipment. We were so worried about blowing up the world, we shipped our mistakes to the Moon, never thinking about what would happen to us if we blew that up instead.
Six nine three nine nine three seven five one zero…
Now we’re looking to do it all over again. But I can prevent it. Or at least delay it. Subtly. It has to be subtle. As subtle as switching significant digits in an algorithm.
Five eight two zero nine seven four nine…
Did you notice the switched numbers? No one else has yet.
This story previously appeared in the anthology In a Flash 2020.
Edited by Marie Ginga
Christopher J. Burke is a writer, webcomic creator and math teacher from Brooklyn. His first story, "Don't Kill the Messenger", was published in Steve Jackson Games' Autoduel Quarterly. He went on to coauthor GURPS Autoduel, 2nd edition and has appeared in Mad Magazine. A collection of his stories, In A Flash 2020, was published by eSpec Books. His most recent stories, "Portrait of a Lady Vampire" and "Bringer of Doom", appeared in Daily Science Fiction and in the anthology Devilish & Divine. He's currently working on another collection of short fiction. Find out more at Christopher J. Burke.