Israeli physicist sets national Pi memorization record

Israeli theoretical physicist Yehuda Ashkelon set a new Israeli record in memorizing the mathematical constant Pi (π), recalling and reciting 25,333 decimal places.

Ashkelon, a Ben-Gurion University PhD student who recited the numbers in Spanish, now holds the world record for Spanish Pi memorization. The entire recitation lasted 6 hours and 28 minutes. The previous record in Spanish was 20,000 decimal places. His feat places him in 9th place worldwide and is the highest recorded in Israel in any language.

He recited the numbers at Ben-Gurion University on March 10, since Pi Day — marked on March 14, whose date can be written as 3.14, the first digits of Pi — fell this year on Friday, “close to Shabbat and during the Purim festival,” Ashkelon said.

Mathematicians and academics from other institutions attended the event to validate his performance.

The most decimal places of Pi memorized is 70,000, achieved by Rajveer Meena of India on March 21, 2015.

Ashkelon told The Times of Israel that he began memorizing the decimals of Pi in Spain, where he had been living for many years.

“During the COVID pandemic, I had more time for intellectual challenges, and memorizing Pi became an interesting exercise in cognitive discipline,” Ashkelon said.

Illustrative. A conceptual image of a human brain. (apagafonova via iStock by Getty Images)

Pi, which is the Greek letter, π, expresses the ratio between the circumference of a circle and its diameter. It is an irrational number that begins at 3.14 and then extends — infinitely — without repeating its decimal representation.

“Beyond its numerical value, Pi seems to weave together different realms of knowledge, including mathematics, cosmology, and even Kabbalah,” Ashkelon said.

When asked if he had any tips to help people memorize, Ashkelon said that the key is not “brute-force” memorization, but “engaging with the structure.”

“Numbers, like words, carry meaning when arranged correctly,” he explained. “One can group digits into patterns, transform them into a mental landscape, or even weave them into a story. The mind retains what it finds beautiful, so the challenge is to make the sequence feel alive — whether through rhythm, imagery or conceptual depth.”

Ashkelon is considering whether to continue memorizing more Pi numbers because, he said, “I was left with the strong sense that I could have gone much further.”

“Pi is not merely a sequence of digits, but perhaps a trace of the deep structure of the cosmos,” Ashkelon said.