The number pi is symbolized by the Greek letter π . We use pi to figure the circumference and area of circles and the volume of spheres and cylinders. The circumference of any circle is its diameter times pi. The area of any circle is its radius squared time pi. So what does that have to do with today?
Today is the 14th of March. Otherwise expressed as 3/14 or 3.14. Just like the number pi! But, pi doesn't end at 3.14. The number is thought to be infinite and non-repeating - no one has found the last digit of pi (currently at over one trillion digits and counting) and there is no sequence of numbers that repeats itself within pi! Written to 100 decimal points pi is...
3.14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510582097494459230 78164
062862089986280348253421170679...
Just for fun I bought two pies to celebrate Pi Day.
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| It's about the math, not the deliciousness! |
Now for a little Pie (pi) related math. The diameter (the distance across a circle from one side to the opposite side, passing through the center of the circle) of each of these pies is 8.5 inches. To calculate the circumference (the distance around the perimeter of a circle) we just need to multiply 8.5 inches by pi (3.14).
Circumference = π x diameter
Circumference = 3.14 x 8.5 inches
Circumference = 26.69 inches
To calculate the area of the pie we need to know the radius. Radius is the distance from the center of a circle to the edge of the circle. This number is one half of the diameter - so if the diameter of these pies is 8.5 inches, the radius would be 8.5 inches divided by 2, which equals 4.25 inches. The formula for calculating the area of a circle is Area = pi times the radius squared (the radius times the radius). Expressed as a mathematical formula this is A= πr2.
Area = πr2
Area = π x (radius x radius)
Area = 3.14 x (4.25 inches x 4.25 inches)
Area = 3.14 x (18.0625 inches2)
Area = 56.71625 inches2
That's 56.71625 square inches of delicious per pie!
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| Check out all that delicious math! |
I hate to admit it , but I can never remember pi past five decimal points. I only remember that much because of a chant that I learned in college. From 1993 to 1997 I attended the Illinois Institute of Technology. One of the school chants was:
Tangent, secant, cosine, sine
3.14159
i, pi, cube root 3
Rock 'em, sock 'em IIT!
Go Scarlet Hawks!
To learn more about Pi Day and how to celebrate the event please visit Pi Day's official website.
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