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Pi Day
March 14
Pi, Greek letter (Π), is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi = 3.1415926535... (This is Pi to just ten decimal places; Pi is an irrational number, meaning it will continue infinitely without repeating.) Pi Day is celebrated by mathematics enthusiasts around the world on March 14th.
Pi Day is celebrated on 3/14 (in the American dating convention, which puts the month before the day), since the first three digits of PI are 3.14. March 14 also happens to be Albert Einstein's birthday.
The first Pi Day celebration was held at the San Francisco Exploratorium in 1988, with staff and public marching around one of its circular spaces, and then consuming fruit pies; the museum has since added pizza pies to its Pi Day menu. The founder of Pi Day, the "Prince of Pi", is Larry Shaw, now retired from the Exploratorium, but still helping out with the celebrations. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology often mails out its acceptance letters to be delivered to prospective students on Pi Day.
There is no set way of celebrating Pi Day, but it is used to get students interested in mathematics. Teachers can organize many unique activities for students to generate interest. It is also used to inform students as well as the rest of the public about Pi, its history and applications. Pi Day parties in math and science classes are common, utilizing different types of pies, all the while teaching students about Pi.
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