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Why is Pi Day Celebrated?

 Pi is one of the most significant mathematical symbols. March 14 is celebrated as Pi Day all around the world. There is a fascinating reason behind selecting this day to celebrate Pi Day. The first digit of pi is 3.14, hence Pi Day is observed on March 14th. Larry Shaw, an employee of the Exploratorium in San Francisco, announced the first Pi Day in 1988.

Pi is an irrational number, which means the digits after the decimal is never-ending and non-recurring. However, for our convenience, the value of pi is considered as 3.14 or 22/7. Pi is the ratio of the circumference of the circle to the diameter of the circle, no matter how big or small the circle is. Whether the circle is coin-sized or planet-sized, the ratio of the corresponding circumference to the diameter, that is, pi will remain the same. To calculate most of the curved figures like a sphere, hemisphere, circle, ellipse, parabola, etc., pi is needed.

According to the Guinness World of Records, “The most accurate value of pi is 62,831,853,071,796 digits and was achieved by the University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland) in Chur, Switzerland, on 19 August 2021. Using a high-performance computer the challenge took 108 days and 9 hours to complete. 12.8 billion new figures have been added”.




History of Pi

The concept of pi was undoubtedly used by ancient Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese, and Indians as wheels were invented between 4500 and 3300 BC. The ancient calculated area of the circle by taking 3 times the square of its radius i.e 𝜋= 3. The pi is also believed to have played a role in the construction of the Pyramid. They also deduced the value of pi as 3.16 which is an approximate value. The pi was introduced by William Jones in the year 1706 and was later popularized by Leonhard Euler. 

Some Interesting Facts About Pi

  • It is the 16th letter in the Greek alphabet.

  • The speed of a computer is determined by the digits up to which it can calculate the value of pi. 

  • Pi day falls on the birthday of Albert Einstein and the death date of Stephen Hawking.

  • Pi has generated a literary style called piem. Piems are mnemonics for memorizing the digits of pi.

There is no doubt that pi is a fascinating mathematical constant. It plays an integral part in our lives and it definitely deserves a day to celebrate. You can also celebrate the day by having a slice of pie.


Happy Pi Day from Rankpedia.

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