The notorious numberPihas come through in becoming even   more rife in scientific discipline . Researchers from the University of Rochester discovered that a formula which judge the energy levels of a atomic number 1 atom is the same as the one develop 360 years ago by English mathematician John Wallis to find the value of Pi .

The span of physicist realized that   when the variational method was employed to calculate the energy levels of the hydrogen atoms , the formula could be simplified into theWallis Product , the one used for Pi .

The variational method acting is used to estimate the crushed vigour country of speck ,   when the negatron are close to the cell nucleus . It is not usually used on the atomic number 1 atom , as hydrogen is uncomplicated enough so scientist can   compute the push levels precisely . Energy levels give an indication of   how tightly bound the negatron   is to an speck ; the prominent the Department of Energy degree , the easy it is for the electron to break free .

Professor Carl Hagen was teaching his scholarly person how to use the variational method acting and used the hydrogen speck as an example in the explanation . The students had to calculate the expected values using the variational method acting and compare it with the exact root and then cipher the error in the approximation .

When Hagen begin to lick the job he insure an unusual trend emerging . The errors were getting small-scale as the energy level grew larger , which was surprising as the variational method only give a near approximation for the modest zip levels .

Hagen raise Tamar Friedmann to study what would happen to the approximation as the DOE increase , and they discovered that the formula was exactly the Wallis Product .

" It was a complete surprisal –   I leap up and down when we got the Wallis formula out of equations for the hydrogen speck , " say Friedmann in astatement .   " The special thing is that it brings out a beautiful connection between physics and math . I find it fascinating that a strictly mathematical formula from the 17th century characterise a physical system that was discovered 300 geezerhood subsequently . "

The paper discussing the find is only three   pages long and has been issue in theJournal of Mathematical Physics .

Top Image Credit :   Pi by J.Gabás Esteban , via Flickr .   cubic centimetre BY 2.0