Monday, March 14, 2011

3:14 Happy π Day!

March 14 is Pi Day, celebrated mainly by mathematicians and other people who find facsination in numbers.

The day honours the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter and was first calculated in ancient times by Greek mathematician, Archimedes. The holiday was created in 1989 by physicist, Larry Shaw, in San Francisco.

Sometimes the day is celebrated at 1:59 p.m. on March 14, commonly known as the Pi Minute. If π is truncated to seven decimal places, it becomes 3.1415926, making March 14 at 1:59:26 the Pi Second.

Pi Approximation Day is held on July 22 (22/7) since the fraction 22/7 is a common approximation of π. This date is also referred to as "European Pi Appreciation Day" because of the European (and Canadian) practice of placing the day before the month.

In 2015, Pi Day will reflect five digits of pi (3.1415) as 3/14/15 in month/day/year date format. (Wikipedia)

The best way to celebrate Pi Day? Bake and/or eat some pie! And enjoy!

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