Today is Pi day. It’s always nice to celebrate. All too often we get caught up in the logistics of life. Navigating from here to there, we forget to slow down and appreciate what wonderful things are happening around us and the people in our lives that help to make this all possible.
So, whether you choose to celebrate today because it is 3.14, Einstein’s birthday, or simply Friday, have a fantastic day !
What is pi? In addition to being the 16th letter in the Greek alphabet, “…pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. In other words, pi equals the circumference divided by the diameter (π = c/d). Conversely, the circumference is equal to pi times the diameter (c = πd). No matter how large or small a circle is, pi will always work out to be the same number.” (http://www.livescience.com/29197-what-is-pi.html)
It’s also fascinating to note that pi finds its origins over 4000 years ago with the Babylonians. According to the Exploratorium’s History of Pi, there’s a tablet with an estimation of pi that dates back to c.1900 – 1680BC!
So why Pi Day? Actually, Larry Shaw is credited with establishing Pi Day in 1988…at the Exploratorium.
In the May 1999 issue of Scientific American, Steven Bogart, shared a brief experiment that may be fun to try:
Using a compass, draw a circle. Take one piece of string and place it on top of the circle, exactly once around. Now straighten out the string; its length is called the circumference of the circle. Measure the circumference with a ruler. Next, measure the diameter of the circle, which is the length from any point on the circle straight through its center to another point on the opposite side. (The diameter is twice the radius, the length from any point on the circle to its center.) If you divide the circumference of the circle by the diameter, you will get approximately 3.14–no matter what size circle you drew! A larger circle will have a larger circumference and a larger radius, but the ratio will always be the same. If you could measure and divide perfectly, you would get 3.141592653589793238…, or pi.
Otherwise said, if you cut several pieces of string equal in length to the diameter, you will need a little more than three of them to cover the circumference of the circle. (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-pi-and-how-did-it/)
Einstein’s Birthday? And yes, today is Einstein’s birthday. Happy Birthday Einstein!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok5zjPZpVCI
McAuliffe School 