Aug 28 2013
Nanojems, a Reno-based microfabrication firm, has just engraved the first million digits of pi on sapphire crystal with gold. The engraving contains 200 times more digits than any other known engraving and is a landmark feat for the never-ending constant. The characters are so small that two digits can be etched on the end of a human hair.
One million digits of pi, engraved in gold on a 4-inch single-crystal sapphire by Nanojems (Reno, NV) on August 23, 2013. This image contains 4 smaller images of the 4" sapphire gem under different color lighting. The inset shows a profilometer image of the last digits leading up to the millionth digit, "1", engraved on a silicon crystal. (PRNewsFoto/Nanojems)
This is the first prototype by Nanojems for a Kickstarter project, which faces a deadline of 1 pm, Tuesday, August 27, 2013 to meet its funding goal. The aim of the project is to create unprecedented collectables as well as to debut an artistic medium that can be used for custom pieces such as personalized Facebook and Instagram gems, legacy jewelry and intricate multidimensional wall art. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nanojems/million-digits-of-pi-pendant
"Pi is not just another number," says Jesse Adams, Ph.D., co-founder of the startup that has expanded its artistic media by engraving the first million digits of pi on sapphire with gold. "The number is awe-inspiring, really. When you discover that your phone number, birthday, and full words and documents are already contained somewhere in pi, that's pretty amazing."
Scott MacDonald, a Las Vegas math teacher and backer of the Nanojems project, says, "I have not been so excited about a Kickstarter before. I'm getting married on Pi Day 2015: 3/14/15!"
Other pi lovers are preparing already for the once-in-a-lifetime Pi Day of 2015, where at 9:26:53 in the morning, the date and time will contain over 10 digits of pi in sequence. (https://www.facebook.com/events/32882204572620/)
While today's announcement is cause for celebration by lovers of the infinite number pi, it also is the unveiling of a new artistic concept for displaying images, creating images within images and adorning rings, pendants and charms.
About pi
Pi is an irrational number, so its decimal representation never ends and never settles into a repeating pattern. While some computers have gone farther, it is now possible to search the first 2 billion digits of pi digitally online. (http://www.subidiom.com/pi/) Try looking for a birthday or phone number (better odds without area code). There is also a good chance of finding the first location of any day this year in six-digit date format.
About Nanojems
Nanojems has set out to revolutionize jewelry, fashion and art with a light-scattering marriage of technology and meaning. Nanojems applies its patented and patent-pending methods of gem and art creation on 'canvases' made of thin slices of pure sapphire or uniform crystal. The pieces are engraved and can be intricately patterned with gold and platinum as well as other precious metals and films. Display lighting creates beautiful holographic effects as it interacts with the thin and patterned crystalline and metal surfaces. The visible features often contain thousands of words or numbers that can be explored with recorded video, seen via live viewing magnifiers and microscopes, or projected with light.
Jesse Adams may be contacted directly for interviews.
Adams holds a Ph.D. in Nanotechnology from Stanford University. In addition to Nanojems, he has co-founded two other companies. At NevadaNano he is researching a self-sensing microcantilever platform for explosives detection, chemical vapor detection and protein analysis in liquid. At NanoLabz he is conducting research and development of laser physics targets for research, medical and energy applications. He also developed a new course in Nanotechnology at the University of Nevada Reno, and he has co-authored a textbook on the subject.