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Prof. Petr Beckmann
Box 2298
Boulder, CO 80306

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Dear Petr:

	You are absolutely right about computing $\pi$ to large numbers
of decimal places being a sporting matter rather than a matter of science.
Moreover, that is how it has always been regarded, since computing $\pi$
to many places by computer started in the 1950s.  Unless I am mistaken,
no-one has ever received a research grant or contract for this purpose ---
or perhaps even applied for one --- in this or any other country.
The latest Japanese record holder is the director of a computation
center and tries out his latest techniques whenever they get a new
computer.  They do make statistical experiments, but these haven't
led to anything, and the people who do it as a sporting proposition
don't hold much hope that they are likely to get anything out of it.
Bill Gosper, who held the record for a while using a much smaller
machine, also computes the continued fraction for $\pi$, and there
is some hope that the distribution of its convergents might be
more interesting.

	With regard to the SCSC, I too am doubtful about whether the
\$6 billion was a good idea at this time.  However, I'll bet that
the new superconductors being discovered will put the project on hold
for a while.  Enough Congressmen read the science stories in the
newspaper to know that it isn't smart to begin a ten year \$6 billion
project when it may become clear in a year or two that it can be
done for much less.  Indeed I'll be that the initiative to check
them out will even come from the physicists in charge of the project.

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	I am somewhat doubtful about the numbers of radiation caused lung
cancer deaths to be expected from coal burning or radon, although the
comparisons with nuclear power are correct enough.  They may all be too
high, because of basing the expected death rate on a linear hypothesis.
It seems to me that the homes with excess radon may provide an unexpected
opportunity for a statistical analysis that will really check out the
linear hypothesis.

	Keep up the good work.

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Best Regards,


John McCarthy    
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