In Celebration Of National Pi Day
(In case you want to skip the geekness and go straight to the punchline.)
You might not realize it (and I didn’t until my kids told me), but March 14 is National Pi Day. Yes, Congress has recognized March 14, 2009 as National Pi Day. So…what is Pi Day, you ask?
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 was Larry Shaw, a now retired physicist at the Exploratorium who still helps out with the celebrations.
Wait…for those of us who don’t remember high school math (or who stunk at it to start with), what is pi?
Pi or π is a mathematical constant whose value is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter in Euclidean space; this is the same value as the ratio of a circle’s area to the square of its radius. It is approximately equal to 3.14159 in the usual decimal notation (see the table for its representation in some other bases). π is one of the most important mathematical and physical constants: many formulae from mathematics, science, and engineering involve π.
π is an irrational number, which means that its value cannot be expressed exactly as a fraction m/n, where m and n are integers. Consequently, its decimal representation never ends or repeats. It is also a transcendental number, which means that no finite sequence of algebraic operations on integers (powers, roots, sums, etc.) can be equal to its value; proving this was a late achievement in mathematical history and a significant result of 19th century German mathematics. Throughout the history of mathematics, there has been much effort to determine π more accurately and to understand its nature; fascination with the number has even carried over into non-mathematical culture.
Oh man, my head hurts just reading that. Here’s a site with interesting pi stuff, in case your eyes are crossed now too. I just can’t handle any more math-talk.
And just how do people celebrate Pi? Well, they make pie, they eat pie, they write Pi-Ku, they invent Pi limericks, they rap about Pi, they compose Pi music on a pi-ano, they send pi-cards, they make pi strings, they get a pi tattoo…you get the idea.
So…how are we here at GlossLip going to celebrate National Pi Day? Well, since we are a celeb site, we have to do something with celebrities, right? Therefore, I decided to alter some lines from well-known movies to better reflect the spirit of Pi. Here are my offerings…if you have more, leave me a comment!
You will always remember this as the day you almost calculated pi!
What’s a pi?
It’s pretty much my favorite calculation. It’s like 3.14 and 22/7 mixed…bred for its skills in circumference.
They’re not gonna catch us. We’re on a mission from Pi.
I’m ten years old. My life is half over and I don’t even know if I’m 3.14 or 22/7!
Rule Number Three: I can’t calculate pi in my head. It’s not a pretty picture. I don’t like doing it!
Use the pi, Luke!
And my personal favorite…
Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Pi…lasts forever.
You got some? Leave a comment!
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Pingback by Celebrity Blog | Babelogs | Celebrity Gossip » Blog Archive » In Celebration Of National Pi Day — March 14, 2009 @ 8:24 am
OK, I saw Pi-Cards and immediately got The Picard Song stuck in my head. I don’t know whether to be impressed, sad, or a combination of both.
Comment by Anon — March 14, 2009 @ 5:38 pm
Speaking of Picard, you forgot, Captain Pi-card.
To boldly go where no pi has gone before!
Sorry, I fail, but not k, she’s a very clever lady!
Comment by Dawn — March 16, 2009 @ 12:20 pm
I did forget Captain Picard! So, in honor of ol’ Jean-Luc, I decided to have a cuppa.
Unfortunately, when I walked into the kitchen and said, “Tea, Earl Grey, hot,” nothing happened. Well, the cats looked at me funny; that’s nothing new, but they make really bad tea. They steep the tea too long and think cat hair is a sweetener.
Comment by k — March 16, 2009 @ 3:36 pm
I think the Captain Jack quote is my favorite!
Comment by D — March 16, 2009 @ 3:47 pm