#69: What is Pi (π) Day About Really?
Math and science are cool.
What is Pi (π) Day About Really?
There are a lot of pie days1 and, as I first started an internet presence writing about pie with an e2, I could go on at length about its history, regional and cultural favorites and traditions, recipes, savory, sweet, techniques, ingredients, pie-worthy fruit, books, pie makers… . It’s a subject about which I’m passionate and I don’t believe any one person could know in just one lifetime everything there is to know about. This may be one of the reasons that I continue to find it fascinating. But, that pie…the one with the e…is not what today is about.
Today is Pi (π) Day. It’s the day for us to celebrate math and science, and those who are endlessly fascinated by these subjects, and how introducing children to them and making them a part of their lives at an early age, is so important.
Math and science are cool.
Although I am not a mathematician or a scientist, every day I am the beneficiary of the important work of those who are, like Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910) who championed the participation of women in the medical profession and opened her own medical college for women, Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) whose research in chemistry led to breakthroughs in the understanding of the causes and preventions of diseases, which laid down the foundations of hygiene, public health and much of modern medicine, Marie Curie (1867-1934), who pioneered the study of radioactivity, Charles Drew (1904-1950) whose work on blood storage and blood banks has helped to save the lives of millions, Rachel Carson (1907-1964) who is credited with advancing the global environmental movement, Alan Turing (1912-1954) father of modern computer science, Katherine Johnson (1918-2020) whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights.
So sure, make a pie today, but remember what this day is really about.
Facts about March 14
The birthday of Albert Einstein, one of the greatest physicists of all time.
The death day of Stephen Hawkings, the great theoretical physicist and cosmologist.
The value of pi was first calculated by Archimedes of Syracuse (287–212 BC), one of the greatest mathematicians of the ancient world.
The Greek letter π was introduced as the symbol for Pi by William Oughtred in his works dating back to 1647, later embraced by the scientific community when Leonhard Euler used the symbol in 1737.
π is a part of Egyptian mythology and the pyramids of Giza may have been built on its principles.
π , along with the radius, is used to calculate the circumference of a circle, the area of a circle or the volume of a sphere.
π is used in weather calculations. Since cloud droplets are near spherical, pi is used to calculate how much water is in a cloud knowing the number and size of the drops.
Physicist Larry Shaw started celebrating 14 March as π day at San Francisco’s Exploratorium science museum.
Below is a link to the 2022 π Day Celebration at the San Francisco’s Exploratorium where John Sims performs work from his music project 31415: The Pi Collection and showcase his Pi Quilt. Educators also share pi’s mathematical history and activities at the museum and ones you can try at home.
Books About Pi
A History of Pi by Petr Beckman
The Joy of Pi by David Blatner
Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi by Cindy Neuschwander
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Contact by Carl Sagan
Pi: A Biography of the World's Most Mysterious Number by Alfred Posamentier
Not A Wake: A Dream Embodying (Pi)'s Digits Fully for 10000 Decimals by Michael & Diana Keith
A Musical Interpretation of Pi
I’ve often wondered why some of these pies are celebrated totally out of season.
Jan 23 National Pie Day and Rhubarb Pie Day
Feb 20 Cherry Pie Day
Mar 2 Banana Cream Pie Day
Mar 14 Pi Day
Apr 28 Blueberry Pie Day
May 8 Coconut Cream Pie Day
May 13 Apple Pie Day
Jun 9 Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day
Jul 12 Pecan Pie Day
Aug 1 Raspberry Cream Pie Day
Aug 15 Lemon Meringue Pie Day
Aug 18 Ice Cream Pie Day
Aug 20 Chocolate Pecan Pie Day
Aug 24 Peach Pie Day
Sept 28 Strawberry Cream Pie Day
Oct 12 Pumpkin Pie Day
Oct 23 Boston Cream Pie Day
Nov 27 Bavarian Cream Pie Day
Dec 1 National Pie Day
Dec 25 Pumpkin Pie Day
Well there was a short-lived blog I named “Foodie Consort” back in 2006 but the foodie I was consort to back then made it very clear that he did NOT like it and to take it down…which I did. «sigh»
Awww - I'm sorry you had to take it down. I bet it was fascinating.
Thanks. Great info