Each year on March 14, math fanatics around the world come together around one famous idea. This is the Day of Pi. In the math department at MFS, Pi Day is a day of celebrations that students look forward to each year. The celebration of Pi Day at MFS takes a step away from the mathematical meaning of the word. Math Department Chair Katie LuBrant said that the Pi Day celebration “is just a day to celebrate math in a fun way and bring the community together.”

Pi, expressed with the Greek letter π, is a mathematical constant that demonstrates the relationship between the circumference and diameter of a circle. Pi is an irrational number (meaning that is endless), and starts with the digits 3.14159. The first usage of Pi dates back to 2000 BC when it was found in Babylonian and Egyptian writing. These earlier societies could only figure out the first few hundred digits, but with the computers we have today, there have been over six billion discovered digits.

During the 2023 iteration of Pi Day, the Math department has many fun activities planned for high school students. Math teacher Roy Wilson mentioned, “My geometry classes are bringing in pies, and some are memorizing digits of Pi.”

While some focus on celebrating and bringing the community, others incorporate math. Math teacher Michael Omilian said that his students make poems utilizing various math equations. The activities range from creating math puns on t-shirts to eating pies, with many more activities planned.

Teachers, students, and faculty enjoy the collective activities each year in Hartman Hall. Omilian added, “It’s a time for the community to gather around an idea of mathematics, and it is more of a community event than anything else.”

Citation: Holland, B. (n.d.). What is pi day? – history. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.history.com/news/where-did-pi-day-come-from