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For many years mnemonics have been employed to memorise useful figures to several decimal places, substituting words of different lengths to represent each succeeding digit of a number.

One of the most important mathematical figures is the value of Pi, being the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle (leading to Area=Pi*r² etc). Here are some varying "sentence" mnemonics for the value of pi:

a). To 6 decimal places:

" How I wish I could calculate Pi! "
( 3 . 1 4 1 5 9 2 )

b). To 8 decimal places:
(suggested in an e-mail from "Professor Amoeba")

" May I have a large container of coffee? "
( 3 . 1 4 1 5 9 2 6 )

b). To 14 decimal places:

" How I want a drink, alcoholic of course,
after the heavy chapters involving quantum mechanics. "
( 3 . 1 4 1 5 9 2 6 5 3 5 8 9 7 9 )

c). To 20 decimal places:

" Sir, I send a rhyme excelling
In sacred truth and rigid spelling;
Numerical sprites elucidate
For me the Lexicon's dull weight "
( 3 . 1 4 1 5 9 2 6 5 3 5 8 9 7 9 3 2 3 8 4 6 )