π!
March 14 = 3/14 = 3.14 = Pi Day!
New Vistas proudly recognizes and celebrates the 30th anniversary of Pi Day today!
Across the country today, students of math, teachers, and mathematicians will be celebrating Pi with contests: competitions to recite the most digits of Pi, pie eating contests, listing known equations including Pi, and more!
Why is Pi so fascinating to mathematicians? Pi is an integral part of our universe in that π represents an irrational number in which the digits never end, and yet there is never a pattern! Pi appears as though it is random and without sequence going on with infinity… However, in the words of Steven Strogatz, professor of mathematics at Cornell, “The digits of Pi can’t possibly be random, because they embody the order inherent in a perfect circle. This tension between order and randomness is one of the most tantalizing aspects of pi!” Dr. Strogatz references the evolution of algorithms formulated by mathematicians in regards to nature have a tendency to require Pi as part of the equation: such as in the cycle of nature, rotation of planets, solar systems, and galaxies. He also posits relationships to repeat patterns such as rhythms and cyclical heart beats! This further indicates that Pi is mathematical component of everything around us and essential to past and future engineering. Dr. Stogatz goes on to say, “Whenever we think about rhythms—processes that repeat periodically, with a fixed tempo, like a pulsing heart or a planet orbiting the sun—we inevitably encounter pi.”
What is Pi ( π )? Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference (the distance around the circle, represented by the letter C) to its diameter (the distance across the circle at its widest point, represented by the letter d). That ratio, which is about 3.14, also appears in the formula for the area inside the circle, A = πr2, where π is the Greek letter “pi” and r is the circle’s radius (the distance from center to rim). With modern computers, Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond the decimal.
To learn more about all things Pi, take a look at http://www.piday.org/
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/pi-day-why-pi-matters
Reference: Steven Strogatz, New Yorker Magazine 3/2015
