What Is The Significance Of Pi?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - The calendar says it's time to dig into a popular dessert and celebrate math.
Pi Day, March 14, honors the formula's starting numbers of 3.14. But it quite literally is more than just a few digits.
The are many ways to celebrate the holiday takes, from enjoying sweet treats like pie, to rocking a shirt bearing the Greek letter.
University of Minnesota sophomore Ella Krauel wore her pi shirt on her way to her applied linear algebra class.
"I've always really liked pi. I just thought it was neat and kind of a fun term," she said.
Scot Adams, a math professor at the University of Minnesota, gets excited about Pi Day, in part because his email inbox fills with people sharing messages about the mathematical phenomenon.
"This is one of the great days of the year to be a mathematician," he joked.
What is the definition of pi? It begins with a circle, typically one that's perfect -- but drawing those is nearly impossible. You measure the distance around it to get the circumference. Then you divide that by the diameter to get pi, 3.14. The actual number is irrational. It never ends and never repeats, but Ella spent time memorizing the endless digits. "3.141592653589793238462," she recited without hesitation. "At one point in time I could maybe get about 150 (digits) but it's less now."
Because pi is an infinite number, it's presented by the Greek letter. And no matter the size of the circle, the equation always ends in pi.
Why do you think this one is celebrated so much?
"Maybe because the food's delicious," Ella said.
Even Adams knows that well, as he was featured in a commercial for Edwards Pie in which he rattles off the equation unfazed while someone feeds him bites of the dessert.
Restaurants and grocery stores join in on the fun. Pizza Lucé donates $3.14 of specialty large pizza orders to STEM education programs. Lunds & Byerlys offered a $3.14 discount on pies.
In 2009, March 14 was officially declared Pi Day, a celebration of math and science and how it applies to everyday life.
"I mean anytime you see a circle, pi's involved in that and there's circles everywhere," Ella said.
Engineers and astrologists can use it to measure distances, such as the diameter of the earth.
It can even help you figure what size hat to buy. Measure your head's circumference, divide that by pi, and you get your head's diameter, aka hat size.
