Pint of View (Lecture #126): The Quantum Life of Pi
Atta Galatta- The Bookstore, Atta Galatta- The Bookstore, 5th Main Road, Binnamangala, Hoysala Nagar, Indiranagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
About
Welcome to Pint of View, Bangalore’s first-ever community where classroom-styled lectures meet drinks in relaxed spaces.
About the lecture
Six hundred years ago, Madhava of Sangamagrama, from Kerala, found a way to express Pi as an endless sum, centuries before Newton and Leibniz. One might imagine that after all these centuries, there would be very little left to discover about this familiar number.
As it turns out, quite a lot.
In 2024, while studying how strings scatter off one another, theoretical physicist Dr. Aninda Sinha and his postdoctoral researcher Arnab Priya Saha stumbled upon an entirely new infinite family of formulas for Pi.
The discovery emerged from an unlikely place. The researchers were investigating string theory, one of our most ambitious attempts at understanding the fundamental laws of the universe. They weren’t looking for Pi at all. It simply emerged from the equations describing how tiny strings collide.
Some of these new formulas even converge to Pi faster than Madhava’s celebrated series.
In this lecture, Dr. Sinha will take us through the mathematics, the history and the unexpected connections that led to this discovery. Along the way, he will make a larger argument about the importance of pursuing knowledge for its own sake.
Time and again, ideas pursued out of sheer curiosity, with no immediate practical application in sight, have gone on to shape technologies and transform our understanding of the world.
Expect a few stories, a little history and a fresh appreciation for the quiet usefulness of seemingly useless knowledge.
No mathematics degree required. Just curiosity (and, this being Pint of View, a drink in hand).
About the Speaker
Dr. Aninda Sinha is a theoretical physicist and Professor at the Centre for High Energy Physics, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. He is also a QHA Senior Fellow at the University of Calgary.
His research spans string theory, quantum field theory and the bootstrap, a fascinating approach to understanding the laws of physics using principles of consistency and symmetry.
In 2024, his work with postdoctoral researcher Arnab Priya Saha led to the discovery of a new infinite family of formulas for Pi, making headlines around the world.
Dr. Sinha is the recipient of several prestigious honours, including the ICTP Prize, the Wolfram Innovator Award and the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award (2019).
He is also a firm believer in the usefulness of useless knowledge, and in the idea that some of the most surprising discoveries begin with nothing more than curiosity.
Event Details
Date: Sunday, 15 November 2026
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Venue: Atta Galatta, 1st Floor, Indiranagar, Bangalore (near Metro)
All this over complimentary Kombuchas by Umami Brew.
Come spend your Sunday evening exploring one of mathematics’ oldest fascinations through one of modern physics’ most intriguing discoveries.
About Pint of View
Pint of View is India's Largest Lecture Community. We brought the lecture in bar format to India and are now expanding across the globe with chapters in 15 cities worldwide. Here, big ideas meet intimate spaces, and you walk in curious and walk out with a sharper lens on the world.
Book now and develop your own pint of view. 🍻