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AskMastodon: I'm reading Ada's Algorithm, and in it the author mentions pi, without actually saying "pi". He takes like three sentences to explain (paraphrasing) "this basic mathematical ratio is the ratio of the diameter of a circle to its circumference, and starts with 3.14159 and continues infinitely..." So, what's up with that? Is there a good reason for not just saying "pi"?
@daveprovost could be a stylistic flair to emphasize the state of science and mathematics at the time of Ada's work. Based on some googling: the π symbol and name Pi weren't in wide use by mathemeticians until 1750s, less than 100 years before Ada's first program
