Kendyle Laesch ‘22, Photo Editor
Now, before you get too excited and your mouth starts watering, Pi Day is not a holiday celebrating pie with an ‘e’. Pi Day is instead one of the most underrated holidays there are. With it coming right before St. Patrick’s Day, it is almost completely forgotten about.
‘Why is Pi important?’, you may ask. First of all, seeing pi in a math class is inevitable. Pi is the glue that holds all of the circle formulas together. It is the ratio of a circle’s circumference—the distance around the circle, to its diameter—the distance across the circle. Although that may sound uninteresting to the non-math enthusiasts, but there is so much to love about this never-ending decimal that goes on forever and ever.
Pre-Calculus and AP Calculus teacher, Ms. Monica Zuzow is very enthusiastic when it comes to Pi Day. Zuzow said, “I feel like there are very few holidays or things to celebrate in math so Pi Day is our day. It is the day where we can discuss the uniqueness of Pi and how there are literally mathematicians who dedicate their lives to finding the next digit of Pi.” She added, “Pi Day also allows me to show my students that math can be fun by celebrating the holiday.” Pi Day not only demonstrates appreciation to the never-ending number, but it also shines light on the good and fun of math which usually tends to go overlooked.
The imaginary number is far more complex than one would expect. Pi’s beauty needs to be recognized. The infinite number just goes on and on and never shows a single pattern. Although, the numbers could not possibly be random because they embody the order inherent in a perfect circle.
Geometry and consumer math teacher Mr. Dave Carravallah said, “Pi is irrational. It is the essential aspect of so much that drives the beauty of mathematics.” Carravallah does not underestimate pi in the slightest, and he will definitely be celebrating Pi Day this year and every year after.
Pi is inescapable. When structural engineers need to design buildings to withstand earthquakes, pi will always show up in their calculations, and when you need to find the area of a circular rug, pi is there right by your side. Who would have thought a number could hold such importance?
Now that you understand the importance of pi, show it a little appreciation on March 14, and maybe even grab yourself a slice of pie, just because. 3.14159265359… may just look like a number, but it is so much more.
Photo courtesy of metrotimes.com
Lyon Life 