Name

pi

Syntax

Return pi * (radius^2)

Description

pi is a predefined variable that returns a real value of about 3.14159. You can use this predefined variable in geometry calculations, as in the following example. This script has a getArea subroutine that returns the area of a circle when passed the circle’s radius as an argument. Chapter 8 discusses how to create your own functions.

set circleArea to getArea(12)
on getArea(radius)
   if (class of radius) is in {integer, real} then (* check to make sure 
   parameter is a valid number *)
      return pi * (radius ^ 2) -- this calc returns the area of a circle
   else
      return 0
   end if
end getArea