3.1415 ways to celebrate Pi Day
Pi Day is an ode to the mathematical constant pi, a popular figure in geometry and the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter (remember that?).
Physicist Larry Shaw organized the first Pi Day in San Francisco in 1988, and the holiday has spread across the world like an infinite sequence of decimals. Math enthusiasts celebrate it on 3/14, a nod to pi's first three digits.
This year's a big one though, as the calendar lines up with the mathematical constant. Pi Day falls on 3/14/15, matching the first five digits of pi.
How should you celebrate this momentous, mathematical occasion? A few ideas:
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3.1415 ways to celebrate
1. Put on some pi tunes
If Pi Day has celebrities, Luke Anderson is one of them. The pi enthusiast, and former Minnesota resident, is behind teachpi.org, a site filled with pi-related activities, songs and other math-happy resources. On Pi Day, Anderson's alter ego, Pi Diddy, comes out to pump up the crowds.
Pi Diddy's mathematical hit, "Lose Yourself (In The Digits)," turns Eminem's anthem into an ode to 3.14.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACOzyjDYAxU
2. Memorize as many digits as you can
Think you have a head for numbers? The Guinness World Record for memorizing pi is held by Chao Lu of China, who recited 67,980 digits. It took him 4 years to practice and over 24 hours to recite.
Max Meyer, a sixth grader at Jackson Middle School in Champlin, Minnesota is competing in his school's contest to see who can recite the most numbers of Pi from memory.
If you want to try it yourself, there's a song for that:
3. Get admitted to MIT...maybe
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in perhaps its nerdiest move yet, will send out acceptance letters at exactly 9:26 on 3/14/15, in an ode to the Pi's first eight digits: 3.1415926.
3.1415 Scoop up a .1415 slice of a pie
That's just over 1/8. Can we recommend a few favorites from The Splendid Table?
The smart, tart choice: Meyer Lemon Curd
The intelli-ginger pick: Fresh Ginger Apple