GA Russell Posted March 14, 2015 Report Posted March 14, 2015 As you probably read in today's paper, today is pi day - pi being 3.14. But to take it further, pi is 3.1415. One hundred years ago today in 1915, somebody somewhere made a special deal about that, so here we are again on 3/14/15. Maybe you should ask your wife to bake a pie for dessert tonight! Quote
sonnymax Posted March 14, 2015 Report Posted March 14, 2015 Happy Pi Day! It is a big deal. It's irrational, it's transcendental (like the number itself). It's an opportunity for kids to have fun with math. The fact that this particular Pi Day only comes once a century is particularly noteworthy. Of course, if you really want to celebrate it right, you can do something today at 26 minutes and 53 seconds after 9 o'clock (3.141592653...). Now that's a lotta pi! It's also Einstein's birthday. Of course, my favorite way of celebrating Pi Day is .... well, Al has the right idea. Quote
GA Russell Posted March 14, 2015 Author Report Posted March 14, 2015 Why Pi Matters http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/pi-day-why-pi-matters Quote
Jazzmoose Posted March 14, 2015 Report Posted March 14, 2015 Anyone who needs an explanation of why pi matters isn't going to be able to read the article... Quote
aparxa Posted March 14, 2015 Report Posted March 14, 2015 (edited) I used to compete with a friend to learn pi digits when I was fourteen. I can't remember my phone number but still have 50+ digits stuck in my head. A is (0,1), so called i. A' is obtained (compass) from the length of [OA] on the x-Axis, i.e. A'(1,0). B is the middle of the segment [AA'] (ruler and compass). And so on. The points converge to [2/pi,0]. This one does not matter much Edited March 14, 2015 by aparxa Quote
page Posted March 15, 2015 Report Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) I've blocked my 'pi"-days. What was it for again? Sorry when that was an explanation aparxa, I didn't get it. I, however, am doing okay at remembering phone numbers and birthdays. Edited March 15, 2015 by page Quote
GA Russell Posted March 15, 2015 Author Report Posted March 15, 2015 I've just learned that if you put 3.14 up to a mirror, it looks like PIE! I've blocked my 'pi"-days. What was it for again? Sorry when that was an explanation aparxa, I didn't get it. I, however, am doing okay at remembering phone numbers and birthdays. page, take a look again at the OP. Today is (in the US) 3/14/15. Pi is 3.1415. Quote
BFrank Posted March 15, 2015 Report Posted March 15, 2015 Pi Day in Austin last year. A sky-writing plane flew in a circle writing the numbers of pi. Quote
page Posted March 15, 2015 Report Posted March 15, 2015 I've just learned that if you put 3.14 up to a mirror, it looks like PIE! I've blocked my 'pi"-days. What was it for again? Sorry when that was an explanation aparxa, I didn't get it. I, however, am doing okay at remembering phone numbers and birthdays. page, take a look again at the OP. Today is (in the US) 3/14/15. Pi is 3.1415. Right, we say day, month, year over here. So I didn't realize that. Thanks GA. Quote
GA Russell Posted April 2, 2015 Author Report Posted April 2, 2015 I forgot to mention that a couple of days after Pi Day, there was a Letter to the Editor of the Wall St. Journal which pointed out... Pi is 3.14159. If you are going to stop with four places after the decimal point, you should round off the final number, which in this case would make it 3.1416. So we'll have the Pi Day of the Century to celebrate next year too! Quote
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