A STEM PROJECT: Using Buffon's Needle Experiment To Estimate The Value of Pi

A TurtleStitch Program That Simulates Buffon's Needle Experiment to Estimate the Value of Pi

Buffon's needle is a classic probability problem named after the 18th century naturalist, Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon. The problem provides a way to estimate the value of π using probability and geometric principles. A needle is dropped on a plane surface that is ruled by parallel lines. The length of the needle is less than the distance between the two lines. What is the probability that the needle will fall on one of the parallel lines when the needle is thrown completely at random?

Using TurtleStitch, a block based programming language, you can recreate the Buffon needle experiment to calculate an approximation of π.  By calculating the probability of a needle crossing a line, the value of π can be estimated. The more trials that are conducted, the more accurate the estimation of π becomes. In my TurtleStitch program, change the number of needles dropped, to experiment with your estimation of the value of π. Here is my program in TurtleStitch  https://www.turtlestitch.org/run#cloud:Username=Elaine&ProjectName=Buffons%20Needle

Thanks to Bice Rapaccini for introducing me to Buffon's Needle.  I used part of her original TurtleStitch program. I randomly colorized the dropped needles and included the calculations to estimate the value of pi.

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