Pi Day (March 14) was celebrated for the first time in 1988 by American physicist Larry Shaw.
Pi (often represented by the lower-case Greek letter π), one of the most well-known mathematical constants, is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. For any circle, the distance around the edge is a little more than three times the distance across. Typing π into a calculator and pressing ENTER will yield the result 3.141592654, not because this value is exact, but because a calculator’s display is often limited to 10 digits.
Some ideas to help you celebrate the day: Place a Newton ornament on the tree. Discuss the merits of calculus over the dinner table. Use a telescope to view the night sky. Drop some unwanted gifts off the top of a tall building to test the theory of gravity.
If you don’t celebrate Christmas or want an additional holiday, I might suggest Newtonmas. Sir Isaac Newton was born on December 25, 1642. This would be perfect for public schools that don’t allow religion-based ideas. I mean, look at that hair, he looks like he’s ready to start partying!
What was happening 100 years ago this year?
We made it, through another year of the Covid pandemic, worsening at the end of 2021 with the Omicron variant. But it’s 2022. I never thought, as a child, that we would ever make it this far. I thought this would be a good time to look back 100 years to 1922.
