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Local 6-year-old can recite more than 1,200 digits of pi from memory

March 14 is Pi Day

We’re not taking apple or cherry pies or pizza pie.

Monday, March 14, or 3/14, is Pi Day.         

Pi is an important number in math. It represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It’s typically rounded to 3.14, but it can go on forever, and one local 6-year-old can recite more than 1,200 digits from memory.

It takes Sree Harsha Siliveri about 8 minutes to recite them all.

His father, Sreedhar Siliveri, said it took his son only a few months to memorize them.

“He learned the first 100 decimals in a couple of days,” Sreedhar Siliveri said. “To our astonishment, he learned 1,000 decimals.”

News4JAX asked a local math professor -- just how impressive is this?

“That’s a very impressive feat, very very impressive,” said Dr. Ken Mulzet, a math professor at Florida State College at Jacksonville. “If you know 15 of the first digits then you’re in a very rare category already.”

That’s not all Sree Harsha Siliveri can do. He already knows middle school-level math.

“He can do the two digits multiplied by two digits, in a fraction of seconds -- everything in a brain,” Sreedhar Siliveri said.

Sree Harsha Siliveri has had a knack for numbers since he was 3. But his older sister has really encouraged and challenged him to do mental math.

“She always enforces math should be in the brain -- not pen and paper. She never lets him touch pen and paper,” said Sreedhar Siliveri.

Sree Harsha Siliveri has already won several local competitions. And he says he’s not done yet.

“He says one day he wants to invent own algorithms and a couple of theorems,” his father said.

And in fact, Sree Harsha Siliveri says, he already has his own theorem in mind.

Tips to teach math to children

Studies show that math helps children better at problem solving and communicating. But getting the ball rolling can be difficult for some children.

Experts say it’s important to make it part of your child’s everyday routine. This move helps the concept stick and gets them thinking on their own. So next time you are at a red light, ask them how many blue cars they see, or how many apples you’re buying at the grocery store.

But make sure to go beyond counting. As they understand concepts, it’s important to challenge them by introducing new ones like addition, subtraction and multiplication.

And make it fun. There are a ton of classic games that teach them addition and subtraction like Yahtzee, Life and Monopoly. Even Chutes and Ladders teaches the numbers 1 to 100. Using snacks also helps keep kids interested.


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