Math lovers, teachers and families around the world are preparing to celebrate Pi Day on March 14, or more precisely the second pi, 3/14 (the American date format) at 1:59 :26 p.m.
Pi or À, approximately equal to 3.1415926, is one of the most important mathematical constants. It represents the ratio of the circumference of any circle to its diameter. The Greek letter À, often spelled pi, was adopted as the symbol for the number from the Greek word for perimeter.
If there was a single day that screamed math party, it would have to be March 14. Coincidentally, March 14 is also Albert Einstein’s birthday, giving math lovers the opportunity to talk about famous discoveries that have been proven through mathematics.
Pi Day is not only a day to celebrate mathematics, it also recognizes the historical progress of our universal language of mathematics. Pi dates back more than 4,000 years, when it was used by the Babylonians and Egyptians. In the 3rd and 4th centuries BC, great thinkers such as Archimedes, Ptolemy, and Euclid came up with their own estimates and proofs. Today, supercomputers can estimate pi to an accuracy of over a trillion digits.
In addition to March 14, there are other days to celebrate pi. Pi Approximation Day can be observed on various dates, but the most popular is July 22 (7/22 using the European date format; simply divide 22 by 7 to estimate pi). Another favorite day to observe pi is November 10 (the 314th day of the year), or November 9 in a leap year. You could also celebrate Pi in December on the 355th day of the year at 1:13 pm, for the Chinese approximation 355/113 (divide 355 by 113 to arrive at an estimate of pi).
The first recognized Pi Day celebration was held on March 14, 1988, at the San Francisco Exploratorium, where staff and audiences marched in a circle and ate fruitcakes. Now many organizations, countless websites, and thousands of classrooms host celebrations. Pi enthusiasts in the math community take pride in memorizing pi and getting higher estimates of its digits.
Here are 10 useful ideas to make Pi Day a special celebration for your students or family members.
1. Write and sing a song or poem about pi.
2. Watch, listen or read other songs, poems or videos about pi.
3. Do math activities to estimate pi.
4. Make a pi necklace.
5. Stand in a circle and sing pi!
6. Play pi on the piano.
7. Find out who holds the current record for most digits memorized and practice memorizing the digits of pi yourself.
8. Convert things to pi (i.e. how old is pi?)
9. Throw a Pi-Day party with pi-zza, pi-e and pi-neapple juice, and don’t forget a pi-ñanta.
10. End the day with a walk, run or walk pi (3.14 km or miles) to burn off all the pi-e.
Let’s make March 14th a Pi Day to remember!
No Comment