The unique holiday was founded in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw and took place at the Exploratorium a San Francisco-based interactive science museum.
Every March 14, mathematicians, scientists and math lovers around the world celebrate Pi Day. The day is a commemoration of the mathematical constant π and the date is written numerically as 3/14 and matches the first three digits of the never ending number: 3.14. (also happens to be Albert Einstein’s birthday). It is a ratio that allows one to measure all different parts of a circle and helps us understand our universe with greater clarity. .
The definition of π inspired a new notion of the measurement of angles, a new unit of measurement. This important angle measure is known as “radian measure” and gave rise to many important insights in our physical world. Mathematicians call it a “transcendental number” because its value cannot be calculated by any combination of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and square root extraction.
Did you know that Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal points? As an irrational and transcendental number, it will continue infinitely without repetition or pattern. While only a handful of digits are needed for typical calculations, Pi’s infinite nature makes it a fun challenge to memorize, and to computationally calculate more and more digits.
Here is a short video about Pi for those of us who learn better visually.
How to celebrate Pi Day in Costa Rica?
After asking your kids if anything special was done in math class to commemorate the day, celebrate by taking them out and getting your favorite pie or pizza. Just make sure it’s shaped like a circle! Plenty of pizza places and bakeries around the world are offering deals this Pi Day so make sure to ask at your local Costa Rica pizzeria or bakery.
