March 14 is Pi Day, a sacred celebration in which radius and circumference lovers rejoice over circular snacks and decimal-reciting contests.
Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159.
Pi Snacks
We like to think outside the (pizza) box, so here are a few Pi Day food suggestions: apple pie, MoonPie, shepherd’s pie, pine nuts and pineapple.
Pi Humor
Q: What do you get when you take green cheese and divide its circumference by its diameter?
A: Moon Pi.
Cool math trick: Multiplying by 4
This trick is so simple and logical, it almost shouldn't be called a trick. But it could come in handy for your budding Sir Isaac Newton. To multiply any number by 4, simply multiply it by 2 and then double the answer.
35 x 4
35 x 2 = 70
70 x 2 = 140
35 x 4 = 140
The underlying lesson of this "trick" is that you can solve a multiplication problem by multiplying by its factors.
Pi Day Playlist
Here are a few musical picks, in case you’re planning a Pi Day party:
“American Pie,” by Don McLean
“1+1,” by
Beyonce
“The Math,” by Hilary Duff
“Pi,” by Kate Bush
“Einstein,” by Kelly Clarkson
“Honey Pie,” by the Beatles
“
Algebra,” by Jason Derulo
“Black Math,” by the White Stripes
“Perfect Circle,” by R.E.M.
Record-breaking Pi
In 2011, a Japanese mathematician broke his own world record for determining the value of pi, calculating the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter to 10 trillion digits on a homemade computer, reports The Telegraph.
Literary Pi
In “Alex's Adventures in Numberland,” author Alex Bellos describes how pi has inspired a particularly tricky form of creative "constrained" writing called Pilish. These are poems – or "piems" – in which the number of letters of successive words is determined by pi, reports New Scientist.
