While Pi Day was originally dreamed up in 1988 by Physicist Larry Shaw at the San Francisco Exploratorium, the mysteries of the irrational number have baffled mathematicians for centuries. Today people celebrate in many ways, including eating pie, throwing pies and discussing the significance of the number π.
WHAT IS PI (π) ?
The number π is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, commonly approximated as 3.14159…It is used in mathematics as a mathematical constant, it has been represented by the Greek letter “π” .
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
It is used in numerous applications from geometry and trigonometry as well as probability and statistics.
Because of it’s relation to the circle, π is used in branches of science such as cosmology, number theory, statistics, fractals, thermodynamics, mechanics and electromagnetism. On top of that the extensive calculations involved have been used to test supercomputers and high-precision multiplication algorithms.
To date Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point.
Find out more about Pi Day here
