Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM

Having Fun with Pi On Its Special Day: 3.14

Thursday, March 12, 2020, By Daryl Lovell
Share
College of Arts and Sciences

Pi Day will be celebrated on March 14—3.14. Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant—the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter—which is approximately 3.14159.

Graham Leuschke, professor of mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences, answers three questions about Pi Day and why it continues to grow in popularity.

Can you tell us more about how Pi came to be?

“People have known for thousands of years that if you want to build a round corral for your animals that’s a certain distance across, then you need a little more than three times that much fencing. Babylonians and Egyptians around 3,500-4,000 years ago already knew this ratio was always the same no matter how big the corral was and knew it was in the neighborhood of 3.12 to 3.16.

“Archimedes of Syracuse was the first to prove mathematically that π is a universal constant and is between 3.14 and 3.142.”

Why does Pi Day continue to draw worldwide attention?

“Most people first meet π in school, where it’s a completely mysterious figure appearing in formulas we’re asked to memorize. Learning a little more reveals even more mystery: It’s the first number folks encounter whose digits go on forever without discernible pattern. For people of a certain inquisitive mindset, celebrating this curious complexity is a way to touch something that has hidden depths and makes us feel connected. Plus, people have realized more and more that math can be fun and even slightly silly sometimes. Pi Day is a great time to goof around.”

Many perceive math as being a cornerstone of education, but a little boring. How does this day make it more engaging?

“The happy coincidence with the word ‘pie’ plays a big part in this. Everybody loves pie, of course. But there are mathematical reasons as well: you can search for your birthday in the digits of π; you can create ‘pi-kus,’ which are like haikus but have 3, 1, 4, 1, 5,…syllables per line instead of the traditional 5-7-5; you can even add a further degree of difficulty by having the word lengths in your pi-ku count the digits of π. These are games that everyone can play, that connect us to each other and with math.

“It probably also has to do with the growth and flowering of ‘nerd culture.’ As it becomes culturally acceptable to be smart, showing that you’re smart has more and more appeal. References to π and Pi Day can be bite-sized pieces of nerdery that fit in a tweet and advertise to everyone around you that you’re a smarty-pants, too.”

  • Author

Daryl Lovell

  • Recent
  • 2023-24 Parking Rates Announced
    Friday, May 26, 2023, By News Staff
  • Lutheran Chaplain Announces Retirement
    Thursday, May 25, 2023, By Dara Harper
  • SyracuseCoE Awards $180,000 for 9 Faculty Fellow Projects Supporting Research and Innovation
    Thursday, May 25, 2023, By News Staff
  • From Generation to Generation: Doing Well by Doing Good
    Thursday, May 25, 2023, By Eileen Korey
  • Office of Veteran and Military Affairs Celebrates Graduating Military-Connected Students
    Wednesday, May 24, 2023, By Charlie Poag

More In STEM

Physics and Mathematics Major Chance Baggett ’24 Named an Astronaut Scholar

Chance Baggett, a rising senior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying physics and mathematics and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, has been named a 2023-24 Astronaut Scholar by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF). Founded…

Aphasia Research Lab Seeks Participants for Stroke Treatment Study

Strokes affect nearly 800,000 individuals in the United States each year. To bring attention to the risk factors for strokes and how to prevent them, the National Stroke Association holds Stroke Awareness Month during the month of May. Those who…

Syracuse Center of Excellence Announces New Co-Chairs of Industry Partners Council

The Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems at Syracuse University (SyracuseCoE) is proud to announce the appointment of Yu Chen and Scott MacBain from Carrier Corporation as the new co-chairs of the SyracuseCoE Industry Partner Council. In…

Expanding Summer Research Opportunities Through SU-STAR Program

When it comes to STEM research, diversity is key. Studies have shown that a STEM workforce representative of the United States population, which brings together expertise from individuals with unique lived experiences and understandings of the world, results in enhanced…

Professor Claudia Miller Awarded Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute Research Professorship

Claudia Miller, professor in the Department of Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), has been selected for a prestigious research professorship at the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath) in Berkeley, California. She will work on-site at…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.