Pi Day 2023: To celebrate the day, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is offering a series of science and engineering questions related to some of the agency’s space and ground missions. The mathematical constant π is usually abbreviated to 3.14, which is why Pi Day is celebrated on March 14. So, to mark the occasion, the STEM Engagement Office at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California has released a quartet of illustrated science and engineering questions based on NASA missions, including upcoming Lunar Lantern and SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) missions, along with InSight and TESS, which is the transiting exoplanet study satellite.
Pi Day is celebrated every year on March 14. This day not only commemorates a very special number but also celebrates the birthday of the great scientist and mathematician Albert Einstein. Let’s study more about the Pi symbol and Pi day through this article.
Let’s review some tweets to witness the celebration around the world:
Teachers: celebrate #PiDay in your classroom!
Challenge your students to use pi to solve some of the same problems our scientists and engineers face as they explore other worlds. The answer key will be available on March 15. Enjoy our #NASAPiDayChallenge: https://t.co/07d3us4Whh pic.twitter.com/RUaLVUrjM5
— NASA (@NASA)
March 10, 2023
This day of March 14 is known as Pi (π) day. Mainly because the value of Pi is 3.14 (3/14). It is also the day when #Albert Einstein was born in 1879. Today is also the anniversary of the death of #Stephen Hawking. 😢🙏🏻 #PiDay pic.twitter.com/K5ZfkUT1LG
– Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@Rajeev_GoI)
March 14, 2023
A recent thought experiment finds that the event horizons of black holes “watch” the universe like an all-seeing cosmic eye, thereby collapsing quantum states. Not everyone is convinced of the idea. @thomaslewton reports for @QuantaMagazine:https://t.co/5TIwfZnZtQ
—Albert Einstein (@AlbertEinstein)
March 13, 2023
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What is Pi?
In mathematics, Pi (π) is a constant number and is the ratio between the circumference of a circle and its diameter. That is, for any size of circle, the value of Pi will be the same. The diameter is the distance of a circle from edge to edge and the circumference of a circle is the distance around it. Pi is a constant number that is approximately equal to 3.14 or 22/7 and is represented by the Greek letter π.
Did you know that Pi is an irrational number, that is, a real number that cannot be expressed by a simple fraction? According to mathematicians, pi is also known as infinite decimal, which means that after the decimal point, the digits continue forever and ever.
Pi Day: History
On March 14, 1988, the first official large-scale celebrations were held at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. This event was organized by physicist Larry Shaw. Did you know that several participants marched in a circle at this celebration and ate fruitcakes? Year after year it gained popularity and finally the US House of Representatives passed HRES 224 on March 12, 2009, recognizing March 14 as Pi Day.
To approximate circles, mathematician Archimedes used polygons with many sides and determined that Pi was approximately 22/7. In 1706, William Jones first used the Greek symbol π. Did you know that a ‘p’ was chosen for the ‘perimeter’ of circles and that is why π became popular and was adopted by Swiss mathematician Leonard Euler in 1737?
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Pi Day: Celebrations
On this day various celebrations are held around the world with various activities like people reciting Pi and seeing who can go the furthest. Museums and science centers, educational programs, music, pi memorization challenges, and math buffs celebrate this day by simply enjoying a piece of the pie. Number fun is sometimes also accompanied by delicious foods like pizza cake, fruit cake, etc. As we know, pi is used in mathematics and physics formulas.
Some interesting facts about Pi
– Pi is an irrational number, so it is not possible to calculate Pi by dividing an integer by any other number.
– Pi is an endless number that never repeats itself.
– Since the value of Pi is endless, we cannot find the true circumference or area of a circle.
– In the Greek alphabets, Pi is the sixteenth letter and in English also p is the sixteenth letter.
– Pi is the ratio between the circumference of a circle and its diameter.
– In the 19th century, William Shanks calculated the first 707 digits of Pi by hand, but unfortunately made a mistake after the 527th digit.
– A Japanese scientist, breaking all previous records, with the help of the powerful Hitachi SR 8000 computer found 1.24 trillion digits of Pi.
– Pi is mentioned in the Bible.
– In ancient times, Archimedes was the first to study Pi.
– Albert Einstein was born on Pi Day.
– There are no zeros in the first 31 digits of Pi.
– Various other names of Pi are Ludolph’s Number, Archimedes’ Constant, Circular Constant, etc.
– In 1706, William Jones introduced the Pi symbol, which was popularized by Leonhard Euler in 1737.
Since 2009, Pi Day has been a recognized national holiday. The mathematical symbol pi is celebrated annually on March 14. March 14 was chosen as the founding date in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw because it is Albert Einstein’s birthday and the numerical date (3.14) represents the first three digits of pi.
GK Questions and Answers on the Mathematical Symbol Pi
Source: historia.com, piday.org
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Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: sef.edu.vn