It’s irrational, we know, but π is 3.14159265358979323846264338327950288….
which is why we’re posting this item on 3/14/15 at 9:26. It’s the significance of the moment. We wish we could get closer, but WordPress won’t allow it.
The Babylonians had worked the ratio diameter of a circle to its circumference as 3. That may account for this verse from 2 Chronicles 4:2,
Then he made the Sea of cast bronze, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was completely round. Its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.
But some scholars suggest the Sea of cast bronze simply wasn’t round. We trust a biblical controversy of this magnitude justifies a post on π day on a religious blog.
In addition to being irrational, π is also transcendental. Meditate on that. Thanks to Lindemann for confirming Euler’s conjecture of π’s transcendentalism. Thanks to Euler for popularizing the use of the Greek letter π for pi.
Some of the Episcopal Café team are reminded of pi when they receive a communion wafer. How are you celebrating Pi Day?
Science Friday celebrates Pi Day with this factoid:
This year holds an unusually special treat for enthusiasts of the constant π: March 14, 2015, written in abbreviated form, approximates π not just to the usual three digits (3.14), but to five: 3.14.15. Ian Stewart, emeritus professor of mathematics at the University of Warwick and author of Professor Stewart’s Incredible Numbers, joins us to celebrate π. “If you’re a mathematical number collector, like a butterfly collector, it would be one of your prized specimens,” he says.
Or how about a million digits of pi?
Or take Science Friday’s Pi vs Pie Day quiz.
Happy Pi Day! Every March 14th, enthusiasts from around the world celebratethe (arguably) most famous number in mathematics with events, apparel, social media love, and a certain crusty dessert by a similar name.While pi and pie sound alike, that’s not the only thing that connects them. Both have a long, storied history involving prominent characters and even an appearance or two in politics. With that in mind, we present this quiz as an homage to the number, and the pastry. Can you pick them apart?
Posted by John B. Chilton
Image “Brazen Sea of soloman From Jewish Encyclopedia” by Jewish Encyclopedia – http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view_page.jsp?artid=1424&letter=B&pid=1. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
