Circular Pattern
Definition
A circular pattern is a sequence that forms a recognizable circular shape when visualized in a specific format or alignment.
Related Concepts
- Transcendental Numbers
- Pi (π)
- base-11-representation
Submission Notes
Patterns in pi in “Contact”
In Carl Sagan’s novel Contact, the main character (Ellie Arroway) is told by an alien that certain megastructures in the universe were created by an unknown advanced intelligence that left messages embedded inside transcendental numbers. To check this, Arroway writes a program that computes the digits of π in several bases, and eventually finds that the base 11 representation of π contains a sequence of ones and zeros that, when properly aligned on a page, produce a circular pattern. She takes this as an indication of intelligent design.
- Source: Carl Sagan’s novel “Contact”
- Characters Involved:
- Ellie Arroway
- Alien Communicator
Examples in Literature
- In Contact, the discovery of patterns within π is pivotal to understanding the nature of the universe and the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence.
Backlinks
2026 04 13 Patterns in pi in Contact
Frontmatter type: concept tags: mathematics, pi, alien-intelligence updated: 2026-04-13