Posted 2:56 p.m. Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Exploring the Timeless Fascination with π, from Ancient Math to Tasty Traditions
Created by Larry Shaw a physicist at the San Francisco Exploratorium on March 14, 1988, the first Pi Day was conceived to celebrate mathematics by making it more relatable and fun. π is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter which equates to ≈ 3.14 (hence the celebration on 3/14 every year). No matter the size of the circle, from a bouncy ball to a planet, this ratio remains the same. This constant has impacted our understanding of the universe captivating mathematicians, scientists and curious minds for years.
We have known about π for around 4000 years. The first written approximates of π were done by ancient Babylonians (1900-1680 BCE) giving π a value of 3. The ancient Egyptians also were calculating π, as written on the Rind Papyrus (1650BCE) giving π a value of 3.1605. Greek mathematician Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212 BCE) calculated π giving it a value between 3 1/7 and 3 10/71. In the 1700s the Greek letter “π” began to be used by mathematicians to represent pi and by 1737 it was standard practice. As you a can see π has captivated mathematicians throughout the years and as time as gone on this captivation led to the discovery of π being an infinite non-repeating decimal.
Pi Day is more than an excuse to eat delicious flaky pie. It allows for us to stop and appreciate the elegance and interconnectedness of mathematical concepts; it is a day to spark interest in mathematics and science, to create a community around the love of math, and to just have some fun. Happy π Day!
Murphy Library Math Resources
Library Guide: Mathematics and Statistics (SUBJECT GUIDE)
