National Pi Day - March 14th

National Pi Day is celebrated every year on March 14^th. Celebrate this day by doing mathematic calculations, or you can eat pie! This is the perfect day for all the mathematicians out there.

This day became a "National" day on March 12, 2009, when the U.S. House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution recognizing March 14, 2009 as National Pi Day.

March 14 is also the birthday of Albert Einstein. He was born on March 14, 1879. Pi, of course, has been around way before he was born. But, these two events should be celebrated together.

What is Pi?

Pi is a number that never ends, but we round it off to 3.14. It represents the relationships between a circle's diameter and its circumference. Pi has been calculated to over 1 trillion digits past the decimal with the help of computers.

William Jones first used the symbol for Pi in 1706. And the symbol was made popular in 1737 by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler.

Ways to Celebrate Pi

Many celebrate Pi day by actually eating pie. Of course, the day can also be celebrated by discussing Pi.

According to Wikipedia, the first Pi day celebration was held at the San Francisco Exploratorium in 1988 and was founded by then physicist Larry Shaw. Staff and guests marched around one of its circular spaces and then ate fruit pies. Since then the museum has also offered pizza.

Take a look at the Exploratorium website and you will find more info on their annual Pi day celebrations. This year they are offering Pi puns, antics and a slice of pie.

Pi for Kids

Do you want to introduce Pi to your kids? Take a look at kidipede. You will find a simple explanation, history and a link to a webpage with a million digits of pi.

Check out Pete's Power Point Station for many math power point presentations for kids. The website features a page on the Geometry of Circles.

EasyFunSchool has a several interesting Pi activities. The site also includes a list of relevant books. You can also find links to other Pi activities.

Pi E-cards and Gifts

Celebrate with your favorite math teacher or mathematician by sending them an e-card.

PiDay.org has some great cards that you can send out. You can also find many gifts on their website, including Pi t-shirts, mugs, mini pins, and even a clock in terms of Pi.

123greetings also offers pi cards. There are several interactive cards that your recipient is sure to enjoy.

Have a happy Pi Day and enjoy some pie!

Sources:

http://www.piday.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_Day