Pi Day
Pi Day is observed every year on March 14 to commemorate the mathematical constant of Pi.
It is only a fun observance, and as such, businesses and schools are open as usual.
The Reason Behind Celebrating Pi Day On March 14
In the American way of writing a date, Pi Day happens on 3/14. 3.14 are the first three digits of Pi.
Mathematician lovers can celebrate Pi Day celebrations at exactly 1:59 a.m or p.m so that they happen at exactly 3.14159.
Some math lovers also celebrate Pi Approximation Day on July 22, as 22/7 is the fraction that represents Pi.
The Definition of Pi
Pi is a mathematical constant that defines the ratio of the circumference of a circle in relation to its diameter.
The word Pi comes from the Greek word perimetros, which means circumference, and the Greek letter has been used to represent it since the 18th century.
Archimedes of Syracuse was the first one to calculate the value of Pi. He was the greatest mathematician of ancient times who determined the area of a circle by using the Pythagorean theorem.
Since then, Pi has been used throughout history by many different cultures.
It has now become an essential part of calculations in numerous fields such as engineering, construction, and physics.
Pi is an irrational and transcendental number, which means it can go on to infinity.
Recently, Pi has been calculated by scientists to over 1 trillion decimal places and counting. However, it is usually abbreviated to be used in problem-solving
History of Pi Day
In 1988 physicist Larry Shaw held the first Pi Day celebration at the San Francisco Exploratorium, a science museum.
On that day, people commemorated Pi by having circular parades and eating fruit pies.
March 14 became officially recognized as National Pi Day in the United States by the House of Representatives on March 12, 2009.
Celebrating Pi Day
Many people celebrate Pi Day by eating pies and organizing pie-eating contests.
There are also competitions to see who can recall Pi to the highest number of decimal places.
The San Francisco Exploratorium still hosts yearly celebrations on March 14, and they now include webcasts.
Some Pi facts
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The exact area of a circumference can never be calculated because the exact value of Pi can never be calculated.
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Emma Haruka Iwao spent four months calculating Pi to 31.4 million digits.
- The world record for reciting Pi to the highest decimal places is held by Rajveer Meena, who in 2005 took 10 hours to recite Pi to 70,000 decimal places.
