Pi Day
). An upcoming Pi Day in 2015 will have the date 3-14-15 and a Pi Second of 9:26:53.589... a.m.
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, then consuming fruit pies. The museum has since added pizza pies to its Pi Day menu.[1] The founder of Pi Day was Larry Shaw,[2] a now retired physicist at the Exploratorium who still helps out with the celebrations.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology often mails its acceptance letters to be delivered to prospective students on Pi Day.[3]
Some also celebrate different Pi Days and or Pi Approximation Days in addition to Pi Day, which can fall on any of several dates:
- March 4: When 14% of the 3rd month has elapsed.
- April 26: The Earth has traveled two radians of its orbit by this day (April 25th in leap years). Thus the entire orbit divided by the distance traveled equals π; two radians equals 1⁄π of our orbit. This is celebrated exactly on the 41st second of the 23rd minute of the 4th hour on April 26 or the 116th day. (In leap years, it is celebrated exactly on the 3rd second of the 2nd minute of the 12th hour on April 25 or the 116th day.) This celebration is not a Pi Approximation Day; many, mathematicians included, celebrate April 26 as Pi Day and say that it should be the official Pi Day.
- July 22: Written as 22/7 in day/month date format; this day represents Archimedes' approximation of π.
- November 10: The 314th day of the year (November 9 in leap years).
- December 21, 1:13 p.m.: The 355th day of the year (December 20 in leap years), celebrated at 1:13 for the Chinese approximation 355/113.
On Pi Day 2004, Daniel Tammet calculated and recited 22,514 decimal digits of π.[4]
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution (HRES 224),[5] recognizing March 14, 2009 as National Pi Day.[6]
References
- ^ Adrian Apollo (March 10, 2007). "A place where learning pi is a piece of cake". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ MacVean, Mary (2008-03-10). "A slice of Pi, please?". Los Angeles Times Online. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
- ^ McClan, Erin (March 14, 2007). "Pi fans meet March 14 (3.14, get it?)". msnbc.com. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ David Letterman show 27.04.2005
- ^ "H. Res. 224". 2009-03-12. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
- ^ Declan McCullagh (March 11, 2009). "National Pi Day? Congress makes it official". CNET News. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
{{cite news}}: Text "Politics and Law - CNET News" ignored (help)