The notorious number Pi has succeeded in becoming even more prevalent in science. Researchers from the University of Rochester discovered that a formula which approximates the energy levels of a hydrogen atom is the same as the one developed 360 years ago by English mathematician John Wallis to find the value of Pi.
The pair of physicists realized that when the variational method was employed to calculate the energy levels of the hydrogen atoms, the formula could be simplified into the Wallis Product, the one used for Pi.
The variational method is used to approximate the lower energy states of atoms, when the electrons are close to the nucleus. It is not usually used on the hydrogen atom, as hydrogen is simple enough so scientists can compute the energy levels precisely. Energy levels give an indication of how tightly bound the electron is to an atom; the larger the energy level, the easier it is for the electron to break free.
via IFLScience
