Playing with math

[Cm4F]

I had one of those teachers who was fond of asking for the 6th or 7th term.

[Sleet]

That seems excessive for virtually any approximation model.

[fylwind]

No one in physics cares about anything but the leading order term anyway. XD

[Squirrelboy265]

It's similar in Engineering as well. Most of the time its using numerical methods until we get a solution that's probably "close enough" to the actual value. Plus the real world likes to shatter models with things like friction and low efficiency motors/pumps/devices.

[Sleet]

One of the biggest reality-shattering revelations for math nerds when they get to college is that there isn't a calculation you could realistically do that just a few digits of pi couldn't be close enough for.