What Is Pi Day?
2024-03-15
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1Math lovers celebrate Pi Day on March 14, or 3/14. Around the world, many people even mark the day by eating a tasty piece of pie.
2For those who do not know, pi is a mathematical constant, a value that never changes.
3It expresses the ratio of a circle's circumference (the distance around the circle) to its diameter (the distance across the circle, passing through its center.)
4The approximate value of this mathematical constant is 3.1415926535.
5But those are just the first 10 digits of pi.
6The numbers go on infinitely, or forever.
7Pi can calculate the circumference of a circle by measuring the diameter and multiplying that by the 3.14-plus number.
8The formula has been used in physics, astronomy, engineering and other fields, dating back thousands of years.
9Long before computers, scientists such as Isaac Newton spent many hours calculating decimal places by hand.
10But today, researchers use computers to come up with trillions of digits for pi. But there is no end.
11There are many uses for pi.
12The number helps calculate the size of paper rolls used in printers.
13And it helps decide the necessary size of a container that serves heating and air conditioning systems in buildings of different sizes.
14Scientists use the number to point an antenna toward a satellite and calculate the orbits and positions of planets and other space bodies.
15Scientists with the American space agency NASA use pi to calculate when parachutes should open as a vehicle splashes down on Earth or lands on Mars.
16In 1706, British mathematician William Jones began using the Greek letter pi for the number 3.14... It is the first Greek letter in the words "periphery" and "perimeter."
17Both words have similar meanings as circumference.
18Pi Day itself dates back to the year 1988.
19That was when physicist Larry Shaw began celebrations at the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco, California.
20The so-called holiday did not gain national recognition until more than 20 years later.
21In 2009, the U.S. Congress declared every March 14 to be Pi Day as a way to bring more interest in math and science.
22The San Francisco museum that started the holiday organizes events, including a walk around a circular sign, called the Pi Shrine, 3.14 times.
23Of course, there is also plenty of pie to eat.
24Many Pi Day events take place at colleges in the United States.
25For example, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Florida holds the "Mental Math Bingo" game with free pizza pies.
26Jason Gershman oversees NSU's math department.
27He said, "Every year, Pi Day provides us with a way to celebrate math, have some fun and recognize how important math is in all our lives."
28NASA has its yearly "Pi Day Challenge" online.
29The space agency offers games and puzzles, such as calculating the orbit of an asteroid or the distance a moon rover would need to travel each day to study a certain lunar area.
30If you still wonder why Pi Day is such an important day for math lovers, here are two more reasons: Albert Einstein, possibly the world's best-known scientist, was born on March 14, 1879. And famed physicist Stephen Hawking died on March 14, 2018, at age 76.
31Although pi is not a perfect number.
32Hawking once had this to say: "One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect.Perfection simply doesn't exist. Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist."
33And Happy Pi Day!
34I'm Jill Robbins
1Math lovers celebrate Pi Day on March 14, or 3/14. Around the world, many people even mark the day by eating a tasty piece of pie. 2For those who do not know, pi is a mathematical constant, a value that never changes. It expresses the ratio of a circle's circumference (the distance around the circle) to its diameter (the distance across the circle, passing through its center.) 3The approximate value of this mathematical constant is 3.1415926535. But those are just the first 10 digits of pi. The numbers go on infinitely, or forever. 4Pi can calculate the circumference of a circle by measuring the diameter and multiplying that by the 3.14-plus number. The formula has been used in physics, astronomy, engineering and other fields, dating back thousands of years. 5Long before computers, scientists such as Isaac Newton spent many hours calculating decimal places by hand. But today, researchers use computers to come up with trillions of digits for pi. But there is no end. 6What are some practical uses for Pi? 7There are many uses for pi. 8The number helps calculate the size of paper rolls used in printers. And it helps decide the necessary size of a container that serves heating and air conditioning systems in buildings of different sizes. 9Scientists use the number to point an antenna toward a satellite and calculate the orbits and positions of planets and other space bodies. 10Scientists with the American space agency NASA use pi to calculate when parachutes should open as a vehicle splashes down on Earth or lands on Mars. 11Pi Day 12In 1706, British mathematician William Jones began using the Greek letter pi for the number 3.14... It is the first Greek letter in the words "periphery" and "perimeter." Both words have similar meanings as circumference. 13Pi Day itself dates back to the year 1988. That was when physicist Larry Shaw began celebrations at the Exploratorium, a science museum in San Francisco, California. 14The so-called holiday did not gain national recognition until more than 20 years later. In 2009, the U.S. Congress declared every March 14 to be Pi Day as a way to bring more interest in math and science. 15The San Francisco museum that started the holiday organizes events, including a walk around a circular sign, called the Pi Shrine, 3.14 times. Of course, there is also plenty of pie to eat. 16Many Pi Day events take place at colleges in the United States. For example, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) in Florida holds the "Mental Math Bingo" game with free pizza pies. 17Jason Gershman oversees NSU's math department. He said, "Every year, Pi Day provides us with a way to celebrate math, have some fun and recognize how important math is in all our lives." 18NASA has its yearly "Pi Day Challenge" online. The space agency offers games and puzzles, such as calculating the orbit of an asteroid or the distance a moon rover would need to travel each day to study a certain lunar area. 19If you still wonder why Pi Day is such an important day for math lovers, here are two more reasons: Albert Einstein, possibly the world's best-known scientist, was born on March 14, 1879. And famed physicist Stephen Hawking died on March 14, 2018, at age 76. 20Although pi is not a perfect number. Hawking once had this to say: "One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn't exist. Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist." 21And Happy Pi Day! 22I'm Jill Robbins 23Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on an Associated Press news report. 24______________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26pie - n. food that consists of a crust filled with fruit, meat, etc. 27approximate -adj. almost correct or exact 28digit - n. a written symbol for any of the numbers 0 to 9 29ratio - n. the relationship between two things and that is often represented by two numbers 30formula - n. a general fact or rule 31calculate - v. to find an answer or number using the math process 32parachute - n. equipment made of cloth that is fastened to people or things and that permits them to land safely from the air 33puzzle - n. question or problem that requires skill to solve