PI Day 3/14

Pi is one of Nature's most mysterious and fascinating constants

Pi is everywhere.

It's in equations of planetary orbits, the color of the Northern Lights, even the structure of DNA.

Per Wikipedia:

"The number π is a mathematical constant, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, approximately equal to 3.14159. It has been represented by the Greek letter 'π' since the mid-18th century though it is also sometimes spelled out as 'pi' (/paɪ/)."

Pi fascinates humans, and has for a long, long time.

Artists celebrate it, too:

Michael Albert, artist, NewYork: info@michaelalbert.com 

Pi also frustrates us.

For example, it's an irrational number.

We are unable to explain it as an exact, common fraction.

Darn thing never ends in decimal form - which is infinitely long.

And it never evolves into a permanent, repeating pattern.

Supercomputers calculate Pi out to billions and billions of digits.

"And they're still going." No end in sight.

One school kid memorized Pi to 10,980 digits:

Source: teachpi.org

The bottom line?

Although the value of Pi is just more than three, it's flat-out fascinating.

Into math - (or geometry, cosmology, fractals, electromagnetism, statistics) - you've already fallen deeply into Pi.

Not only that. Pi is "Phun."

You can compute Pi by dropping needles.

Or with frozen hot dogs.

Really.

Try the hot dog test.

Fry and eat them later.

Pi is so cool, it even has its own day.

Today.

March 14. As in, 3.14.

The difference?

This day will end.

Pi keeps on giving.

But why?

That's a mystery.