Here is a beautiful and astonishingly simple formula for π created by the French mathematician François Viète (1540-1603):

• 2 / π = √2/2 * √(2 + √2)/2 * √(2 + √(2 + √2))/2…

I can remember testing the formula on a scientific calculator that allowed simple programming. As I pressed the = key and the results began to home in on π, I felt as though I was watching a tall and elegant temple emerge through swirling mist.