Happy PI Day 2010: Google Finds Math Fun!

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In summary, today is PI day and it falls on 3-14 or March 14th in the United States. However, in other countries where the date format is reversed, it may not be considered PI day. There is debate over whether PI should be measured using the diameter or radius, with some arguing that using the radius (6.28318) is more elegant. Some calculations for pi are done using infinite series approximations or by measuring the perimeter of polygons with increasing number of sides. However, regardless of the method used, pi is approximately 3.14. Happy PI day!
  • #1
Borg
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I went to Google this morning and found out that today is http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/03/12/pi.day.math/" . :biggrin:


piday10-hp.gif
 
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  • #4
It's pi day because it's 3-14.

I believe that means it's not pi day in foreign countries because they put the day of the month first.

And, since there's no month 14, there will never be a pi day in foreign countries.

Or is that just circular reasoning?
 
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  • #6
zoobyshoe said:
Or is that just circular reasoning?

Arrrggghhhh... :rolleyes:

Gokul43201 said:
You mean [itex]\pi r_0^2[/itex] ?

Exactly. Cakes are square; pie are round. :biggrin:
 
  • #7
zoobyshoe said:
It's pi day because it's 3-14.

I believe that means it's not pi day in foreign countries because they put the day of the month first.

And, since there's no month 14, there will never be a pi day in foreign countries.

Or is that just circular reasoning?
To be intentionally obtuse, that's not circular, but incomplete. Completeness, within this particular argument, would also require you to note that April never has 31 days.

Of course, Jan 3rd is really not so terrible, but just doesn't have enough zing in it.
 
  • #8
zoobyshoe said:
It's pi day because it's 3-14.

I believe that means it's not pi day in foreign countries because they put the day of the month first.

And, since there's no month 14, there will never be a pi day in foreign countries.

Or is that just circular reasoning?

Hmm. 3-14-15 will be PI year.
 
  • #9
zoobyshoe said:
And, since there's no month 14, there will never be a pi day in foreign countries.

Sure there will. We just do it on 22/7 (22nd of July) which is actually closer to pi than 3.14. Alternatively people have been known to do it on the 314th day of the year, but I can never remember when that is and I don't reckon it's that popular except for people who want an extra chance to celebrate pi day.
 
  • #10
I'm wearing http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/sciencemath/6e7e/ today.
 
  • #11
happy Pi-nstein day!
 
  • #12
I have a problem with pi. Pi was arbitrarily chosen to be the ratio of circumference over diameter thousands of years ago. But as most problems in math and physics are solved in term of radius than diameter, there is more elegance for pi to be circumference over radius (6.28318). It represents a full 360 degree revolution, and not 180.
 
  • #13
Happy pi day! I found the perfect square pie to celebrate. :biggrin:

3063024748_7d252abc83.jpg
 
  • #14
Gokul43201 said:
To be intentionally obtuse, that's not circular, but incomplete. Completeness, within this particular argument, would also require you to note that April never has 31 days.

Of course, Jan 3rd is really not so terrible, but just doesn't have enough zing in it.

And it's too close to New Years.
 
  • #15
Moonbear said:
Happy pi day! I found the perfect square pie to celebrate. :biggrin:

3063024748_7d252abc83.jpg

That's not pie, it's...

spam.jpg
 
  • #16
Just think how hard they partied on 3/14/1592
 
  • #17
Shouldn't pi day be tomorrow? It rounds up to 3.15
 
  • #18
Pinu7 said:
Shouldn't pi day be tomorrow? It rounds up to 3.15

How? 3.141...rounds down.
 
  • #19
Some of the calculations are done by infinite series approximations. There are proofs that some infinite series converge to the value pi. One can then calculate these infinite series to many many terms and get a good approximation of pi (the faster the series converges the better).

Another method would be to make more and more sided polygons and measuring the perimeter vs "radius" of these polygons. If you get a polygon with 1 billion sides, you get a pretty good approximation of pi as well.
 
  • #20
Moonbear said:
How? 3.141...rounds down.

Oh never mind(well, atleast I know pi is 3-ish). :redface:
 

What is PI Day?

PI Day is a holiday celebrated on March 14th (3/14) to honor the mathematical constant PI (π).

Why is PI Day celebrated on March 14th?

PI Day is celebrated on March 14th because the first three digits of PI are 3.14, which is also the date format for March 14th.

What is the significance of PI?

PI is a mathematical constant that represents the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It is an irrational number with infinite digits after the decimal point and is often approximated as 3.14.

How did Google celebrate PI Day in 2010?

In 2010, Google created a special logo or "doodle" on their homepage in honor of PI Day. The doodle featured a pie with the numbers of PI displayed on it.

How can I celebrate PI Day?

You can celebrate PI Day by baking and eating pies, participating in math-related activities or competitions, or simply taking a moment to appreciate the importance of math and PI in our daily lives.

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