You have waited a whole year for it and now it is here. Pi day enshrines the most beloved mathematical constant in history. Contrary to what some believe, you don’t have to be a nerd to celebrate π day. Here are a few suggestions.
π fashions
The most important thing to do is get out all your pi-wear. Shirts, neckties, shoes, athletic jersey’s, hats, handkerchiefs, pajamas, etc. all emblazoned with π are always in style, but are especially appropriate for Pi Day. You wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, dress up on Easter, and wear your best clothes to church, so don’t forget to honor pi through what you wear.
π home pages
If you don’t already have your Web browser set to a popular pi web page, do so immediately. There are literally hundreds of them out there, so choose one that fits your fancy. Need a suggestion? Just Google pi to get started. There are lots of great pi Web sites out there, so take your time choosing the best one.
Circles
Since pi and circles are inextricably related, you’ll need to augment your celebration by drawing circles, painting circles, arranging objects in circles, etc. Pi is the relationship of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, so anything you do with circles will honor the day.
Talk about π and π day
It’s hard to imagine, but some people don’t know what pi is. Blame it on the state of government education, movies, the news media, or bad parenting, but it’s still the truth. Without pi, the universe could not exist, so how could anyone live while overlooking such a key figure is inexplicable.
Pi Day is one of the most under-recognized major holidays on our calendar. Who made up the calendar anyway? You can honor pi and its special day by reminding everyone you know to take time out of their busy schedule to “do the math.”
A good conversation starter is discussing the feasibility of representing pi with the fractional constant 22/7. How does it differ from pi and how is it the same? What are the economic consequences of using 22/7 rather than pi? You get the idea.
Calculate π
Hopefully you’ve been practicing your pi calculations all year and don’t have to cram in some last minute study. One of the most popular activities is the computation of pi. So far the record computation is somewhere over two-and-a-half trillion digits, so you have your work cut out for you.
Don’t forget to include the square root of pi in your festivities. That is another endless calculation that should be revered alongside pi.
Also, try computing daily things to pi. For example, you can convert your analog clock to pi to reference the time. You can do the same thing to approximate the movement of the sun. By converting circular distances into radians, you have endless possibilities.
π food
Okay, so it’s lame to eat pie on pi day, I know, but those who are simple-minded get a kick out of the ritual, so go along with it. Don’t limit yourself to apple pie either: any kind of pie, including pizza pie, will do. Also, any food that begins with pi can be added to your menu. Try pineapple, pina coladas, etc.
π contests
Gather around your friends for the obligatory competition to see who can accurately recite pi to the greatest number of decimal places. Be sure to have an appropriate award on hand for the winner.
Another thing you can do is have a race. Either use bicycles or run pi miles. Again, have pi-related items for the trophies.
π entertainment
Don’t let the day pass without watching π, the movie, or listening to the song π as performed by Kate Bush (we all know that she inexplicably leaves out places 79 – 100, so try not to get hung up on that).
Miscellaneous π
Get married, name your firstborn child Archimedes. Get creative. There’s literally just as many ways to celebrate pi day as there are pi decimal places. Have fun! Go crazy! Pi day only comes once a year!
