π (pi) Day
In 1988, the holiday π (pi) Day was founded by Larry Shaw, a physicist at the Exploratorium California Science Museum, to observe the mathematical constant pi ( π ). March 14 (3/14) was chosen because the first three significant figures of π are 3, 1, and 4. The United States House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution recognizing π (pi) Day in 2009. Super Pi Day was celebrated in 2015 on 3/14/15 at 9:26:53 to represent the first 10 digits of π . What is π ? It is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. It is an irrational number (not equal to the ratio of any two whole numbers.) π , or its approximation, was described by the ancients. The Babylonians (c. 2000 BCE) obtained the value 3.125 by calculating the perimeter of a hexagon inscribed within a circle. The Rhind papyrus (c. 1650 BCE) scribed by the Egyptians used the value ~ 3.16045, and more recently, Archimedes (c....