Math geeks around the world, from college kids to rocket scientists, celebrate Pi Day on Thursday, March 14, or 3/14; this is the first three digits of an infinite number that has many practical uses.
Many people around the world will celebrate the day with a slice of cake (sweet, savory, or even pizza).
Simply put, Pi is a mathematical constant that expresses the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It is part of many formulas used in physics, astronomy, engineering and other fields that date back thousands of years. It extends to ancient Egypt, Babylon and China.
Pi Day dates back to 1988, when physicist Larry Shaw started celebrations at the Exploratorium science museum in San Francisco. The holiday did not gain national recognition until two decades later. In 2009, Congress designated every March 14 as a major day to encourage greater interest in math and science. Fittingly, the day is also Albert Einstein’s birthday.
Here’s a little more information about the origin of the holiday and how it’s celebrated today.
WHAT IS PI?
Pi can calculate the circumference of a circle by measuring the diameter (the straight distance through the center of the circle) and multiplying it by 3.14 plus the number.
It is considered a constant number and is also infinite, meaning it is mathematically irrational. Long before computers, historical scientists such as Isaac Newton spent hours calculating decimal places by hand. Today, researchers have found trillions of digits of pi using advanced computers, but there is no end to it.
WHY WAS IT CALLED PI?
It was not named until 1706, when the Welsh mathematician William Jones began using the Greek symbol for the number.
Why that letter? It’s the first Greek letter of the words “circumference” and “circumference,” and pi is the ratio of the circumference – or circumference – of a circle to its diameter.
WHAT ARE SOME PRACTICAL USES?
This number is key to correctly pointing the antenna towards the satellite. It helps understand everything from the size of a giant cylinder needed in refinery equipment to the size of a paper roll used in printers.
Pi is also useful in determining the required scale of a tank serving heating and air conditioning systems in buildings of various sizes.
NASA uses pi on a daily basis. It is key to calculating orbits, the positions of planets and other celestial bodies, rocket propulsion elements, spacecraft communications, and even the accurate deployment of parachutes when a vehicle bounces to Earth or lands on Mars.
Using just nine digits of pi, scientists say he can calculate the Earth’s circumference so accurately that he is only off about a quarter inch (0.6 centimeters) for every 25,000 miles (about 40,000 kilometers).
BUT THIS IS NOT JUST MATHEMATICS
The San Francisco museum, which started the holiday, holds events each year, including a 3.14 parade around a circular plaque called the Temple of Pi, followed by festivities with lots of cake, of course.
Many events are now held on university campuses across the country. For example, Nova Southeastern University in Florida will host a series of events, including a game called “Mental Math Bingo” and an event featuring free pizza (tarts) and the requisite cake for dessert.
“Every year, Pi Day gives us a way to celebrate math, have some fun, and realize how important math is in our lives,” said Jason Gershman, chair of NSU’s mathematics department.
Stephen Jarrett, manager of Michele’s Pies in Norwalk, Connecticut, said it’s one of the biggest days of the year.
“We ship hundreds of cakes on Thursday to companies, schools and just individuals,” Jarrett said in an interview. “Pi Day is such a fun and silly holiday because it’s a mathematical number that people love to turn into something fun and delicious. “So people celebrate Pi Day with sweet pies, savory pies, and this is just an excuse for a little treat.”
NASA’s annual “Pi Day Challenge” offers people plenty of games and puzzles online; Some of these come straight from the space agency’s own playbook; for example, calculating the orbit of an asteroid or the distance a lunar rover must travel each day. Research a specific area of the moon.
WHAT HAPPENS TO EINSTEIN?
Einstein, arguably the world’s best-known scientist, was born in Germany on March 14, 1879. An infinite number of Pi were used in many of his groundbreaking theories, and now Pi Day gives the world another reason to celebrate his achievements.
In a bit of mathematical symmetry, famous physicist Stephen Hawking died on March 14, 2018, at the age of 76. However, Pi is not a perfect number. He once said:
“One of the fundamental rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply does not exist. If there were no imperfection, neither you nor I would exist.”
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Associated Press video reporter John Minchillo contributed from Norwalk, Connecticut.