How can I prove that $\pi$ has $2$ digits repeating an infinite number of times in its decimal expansion? Proving that $1$ digit repeats an infinite number of times is easy – $\pi$ is irrational, and by the definition of irrational number, a digit must be repeated an infinite number of times?
2026-03-29 19:27:40.1774812460
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Prove that $\pi$ has $2$ digits that repeat infinite number of times
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Well, if only one digit appears an infinite number of times, then $\pi$ is rational.
Suppose that only $d$ appears an infinite number of times.
Split $\pi$ into the following parts:
- $A=$ the integer part, i.e., $\lfloor{\pi}\rfloor$
- $B=$ the fraction part's until only $d$ appears
Let $N$ denote the number of decimal digits in $B$, then:
$$\pi=\frac{9A\cdot10^{N}+9B+d}{9\cdot10^{N}}$$
Hence $\pi$ is rational.
For example, suppose $\pi=3.14159\overline{2}$, with $d=2$:
- $A=3$
- $B=14159$
- $N=5$
Then:
$$\pi=\frac{9\cdot3\cdot10^{5}+9\cdot14159+2}{9\cdot10^{5}}=\frac{2827433}{900000}$$
Hence $\pi$ is rational.
HINT: Assume only one digit appears infinitely many times, then after finitely many decimal places we will have only the repeating digit appearing. This means that $\pi$ is periodic (has a repeating decimal pattern), hence it's rational, which is a contradiction.