Guess what today it is! It’s Pi Day! That’s right! So, what comes to mind when you hear the word pi? Apple, blueberry, rubarb, pizza? Well, today is actually about that mathematical constant that everybody loves…π…Pi!
That’s right! Today, March 14 or 3.14 is Pi Day. A celebration of that mathematical constant that everybody loves…π…Pi! In addition to Pi Day, some also celebrate the Pi minute, March 14 at 1:59 PM (3.14159), and the Pi second, March 14 at 1:59:26 PM (3.1415926). The first Pi Day celebration, created by Larry Shaw (The Prince of Pi), was held at the Exploratorium in San Francisco in 1988. At the celebration, the Exploratorium staff and other participants marched around in a circle and then concluded the ceremony by munching on fruit pies (the Exploratorium now includes pizza pies in the celebration).
Interesting Pi Day facts:
- March 14th is also the birthday of Albert Einstein.
- Pi Approximation Day is also celebrated on: July 22 (22/7), November 10 (usually the 314th day of the year), December 21 at 1:13 PM (usually the 355 day of the year at 1:13 PM for the Chinese approximation 355/113)
- March 14, 1916 (3/14/16 in American date format) is the closest approximation of pi in the last century.
- The symbol for pi was first used in 1706 by William Jones, but was popular after it was adopted by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in 1737.
In addition to today’s special celebration of math, there are also Mole Day and Square Root Days. I hope you and your children have a wonderful Pi Day! Now, Do Some Science and eat a little pie!
