MDBCs 14 Mar 2024

It is celebrated in countries that follow the month/day (m/dd) date format, because the digits in the date, March 14 or 3/14, are the first three digits of π (3.14). Pi Day was founded by Physicist Larry Shaw in 1988.

Pi Approximation Day

Because everyone should be able to enjoy a fun mathematical holiday, people in countries that follow the day/month (dd/m) date format honor pi on Pi Approximation Day. The date of Pi Approximation Day - July 22 - when written in the day/month format or 22/7 corresponds to the fraction (22/7) that pi is usually depicted as.

There are many other days during the year when one can honor pi. Some of these are:

March 4: The day marks the passing of 14% of the 3rd month of the year.
April 5: By this day, 3.14 months of the year have passed.
November 10: The 314th day of the year (November 9 in leap years).

An Irrational Number

One of the oldest and the most recognized mathematical constant in the world, Pi (π) is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter. Its value is approximately equal to 3.14159265. It is an irrational number, which means it cannot be expressed as a ratio of whole numbers, and its decimal representation never ends or repeats.

In recent years, mathematicians have called for replacing pi by tau (τ) as a way to describe the relationship between a circle’s circumference and its radius. In order to spread the word about the advantages of tau over pi, mathematicians around the world celebrate Tau Day on June 28.

Other Mathematical Dates

The Gregorian Calendar is full of dates that when written in a special manner represent a mathematical or scientific concept. Some of these include: Yellow Pig Day, Mole Day, Fibonacci Day, Palindrome Day, and e-Day. Use our Date Pattern Calculator to find out other interesting calendar dates during the year.

How to Celebrate?

Pi is a homophone of pie - the 2 words are pronounced similarly but are spelled differently and mean different things. Celebrate Pi Day by having lots and lots of pie.
Have a pie baking contest. Ask participants to bake pi shaped pies. Combine it with a pie-eating competition.
Have a pi recitation contest. Anyone who can recite the most digits of the constant gets to take home a pie.
Embrace your geekness. Wear a t-shirt that has the numbers of pi on it or sport some pi shaped accessories. Earrings perhaps?
Eat foods that start with a pi, like pineapples and pizza, or foods that are circular in shape, like pancakes and cookies.
Watch the 1998 Darren Aronofsky movie, Pi.

Did You Know

...that pi is represented by the lower case Greek letter, π, because it is the first letter of the Greek word περίμετρος, meaning perimeter?

***

One afternoon while I was visiting my library, I noticed a group of preschoolers gathered for story time. The book they were reading was "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." After the librarian finished the first page, she asked the children, "Do you think she'll die?"

"Nope," a little girl in the back said. "I saw this last night on 'Fear Factor.' "

***

Driving with my two young boys to a funeral, I tried to prepare them by talking about burial and what we believe happens after death. The boys behaved well during the service. But at the grave site I discovered my explanations weren't as thorough as I'd thought.

In a loud voice, my four-year-old asked, "Mom, what's in the box?"

***

PULL. If that doesn't work, PUSH. If that doesn't work, we're closed. Come again.

***

A livestock truck overturned in my town, and the accident made the local news. The young reporter who covered the story declared on camera, "Two cows, Black and Gus, escaped into nearby woods."

At the studio there was muffled laughter as they cut to a commercial. After the break, the reporter sheepishly added, "About that overturned truck—make those Black Angus cattle."

***

“Has your son decided what  he wants to be when he grows up?”  I asked my friend.