Pi Day

Pi Day

Pi Day and Pi Approximation Day are two holidays held to celebrate the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is observed on March 14 (3/14 in American date format), due to π being equal to roughly 3.14. Sometimes it is celebrated on March 14 at 1:59 p.m. If π is truncated to seven decimal places, it becomes 3.1415926, making March 14 at 1:59:26 p.m., Pi Second (or sometimes March 14, 1592 at 6:53:58 a.m.). March 14 also happens to be Albert Einstein's birthday.

The first Pi Day celebration was held at the San Francisco Exploratorium in 1988, with staff and public marching around one of its circular spaces, and then consuming fruit pies; the museum has since added pizza pies to its Pi Day menu. [cite news | url = http://www.fresnobee.com/283/story/34436.html | title = A place where learning pi is a piece of cake | author = Adrian Apollo|date = March 10, 2007 | accessdate = 2007-03-21 | publisher = The Fresno Bee] The founder of Pi Day, the "Prince of Pi", is Larry Shaw, [ [http://www.dailypilot.com/articles/2007/03/20/columns/dpt-buffa18.txt COMMENTS & CURIOSITIES: Infinitely irrational Pi Day] Accessed on 2007-03-29. ] now retired from the Exploratorium, but still helping out with the celebrations. They have also recently added the first Pi Day celebrations in Second Life.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology often mails out its acceptance letters to be delivered to prospective students on Pi Day. [cite news | url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17605924/ | title = Pi fans meet March 14 (3.14, get it?) | first = Erin | last = McClan | date = March 14, 2007 | accessdate = 2008-01-24 | publisher = msnbc.com]

Some also celebrate Pi Approximation Day in addition to Pi Day, which can fall on any of several dates:
*April 26: The Earth has traveled two radians of its orbit by this day (April 25th in leap years); thus the entire orbit divided by the distance traveled equals pi
*July 22: 22/7 in the more common day/month date format, an ancient approximation of pi
*November 10: The 314th day of the year (November 9 in leap years)
*December 21, 1:13 p.m.: The 355th day of the year (December 20 in leap years), celebrated at 1:13 for the Chinese approximation 355/113

On March 14, 2004, Daniel Tammet recited from memory 22514 decimal digits of pi. [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXG-1YLGAS0 David Letterman show 27.04.2005] ]

ee also

* Mole Day
* Square root day
* List of topics related to pi
* For other holidays celebrated on these days, see March 14 and July 22

References

External links

* [http://www.exploratorium.edu/pi/ The Exploratorium's Pi Page]
* [http://www.memoryelixir.com/archive4.html#pi/ Pi Day in Maine with Dr. Wilson's Memory Elixir]
* [http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-Pi-Day How to Celebrate Pi Day]
* [http://www.piday.org/ PiDay.org The Official March 14 Website]
* [http://www.teachpi.org Ideas for Teachers for Celebrating Pi Day]
* [http://www.PiDayInternational.org PiDayInternational.org ]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • day — /day/, n. 1. the interval of light between two successive nights; the time between sunrise and sunset: Since there was no artificial illumination, all activities had to be carried on during the day. 2. the light of day; daylight: The owl sleeps… …   Universalium

  • day — W1S1 [deı] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(24 hours)¦ 2¦(not night)¦ 3¦(when you are awake)¦ 4¦(time at work)¦ 5¦(past)¦ 6¦(now)¦ 7¦(future)¦ 8 somebody s/something s day 9 Independence/election/Christmas etc day 10 five/three/ni …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • day — [ deı ] noun *** 1. ) count one of the periods of time that a week is divided into, equal to 24 hours: We re going away for five days. The animals are kept inside for 14 hours a day. 24 hours a day (=during the whole of the day and night): The… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • DAY OF ATONEMENT — (Heb. יוֹם הכִּפּוּרִים, Yom ha Kippurim), one of the appointed seasons of the Lord, holy convocations, a day of fasting and atonement, occurring on the Tenth of Tishri. It is the climax of the ten days of penitence and the most important day in… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Day — (d[=a]), n. [OE. day, dai, dei, AS. d[ae]g; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. dag, G. tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dah (for dhagh ?) to burn. [root]69. Cf. {Dawn}.] 1. The time of light, or interval between one night and the next; the time… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Day after day — Day Day (d[=a]), n. [OE. day, dai, dei, AS. d[ae]g; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. dag, G. tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dah (for dhagh ?) to burn. [root]69. Cf. {Dawn}.] 1. The time of light, or interval between one night and the next; the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Day blindness — Day Day (d[=a]), n. [OE. day, dai, dei, AS. d[ae]g; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. dag, G. tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dah (for dhagh ?) to burn. [root]69. Cf. {Dawn}.] 1. The time of light, or interval between one night and the next; the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Day by day — Day Day (d[=a]), n. [OE. day, dai, dei, AS. d[ae]g; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. dag, G. tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dah (for dhagh ?) to burn. [root]69. Cf. {Dawn}.] 1. The time of light, or interval between one night and the next; the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Day in court — Day Day (d[=a]), n. [OE. day, dai, dei, AS. d[ae]g; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. dag, G. tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dah (for dhagh ?) to burn. [root]69. Cf. {Dawn}.] 1. The time of light, or interval between one night and the next; the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Day owl — Day Day (d[=a]), n. [OE. day, dai, dei, AS. d[ae]g; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. dag, G. tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dah (for dhagh ?) to burn. [root]69. Cf. {Dawn}.] 1. The time of light, or interval between one night and the next; the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Day rule — Day Day (d[=a]), n. [OE. day, dai, dei, AS. d[ae]g; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. dag, G. tag, Icel. dagr, Goth. dags; cf. Skr. dah (for dhagh ?) to burn. [root]69. Cf. {Dawn}.] 1. The time of light, or interval between one night and the next; the …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”