Get the Party Started: Celebrate Pi Day!

March 11, 2015 By Laura Leave a Comment

If you have the kind of Facebook or Twitter newsfeed that I have, you have likely figured out that March 14, 2015 is pretty darned special. And at 9:26 a.m., there’s even more reason to celebrate. That exact time is the ultimate for us math geeks who are also fond of π. If you write this date and time using only numbers (and strategically placing a decimal point to the right of 3), you get:

3.1415926

And that’s the longest expression of pi we’ve seen in 100 years on Pi Day.

So forget making pies. We here at Math for Grownups are going to be celebrating bigger! And better! From today through midnight on Pi Day (that’s this Saturday, by the way), you’ll have a chance to win great prizes!

π Plates

I’m thrilled to partner with Uncommon Goods, one of my most favorite online retailers for unique gifts and crafts, to offer one lucky winner a set of these clever pie plates. (“i eight sum pi,” they say.)

T-shirt

I designed this shirt just for this celebration. You’ll want to remember this momentous occasion — you know, share it with your grandchildren. The t-shirt is 100% cotton, and you can order it in standard or ladies cut.

Mug

Have a little Pi Day with your coffee or tea? Sip away, while letting your math geek flag fly!

Math for Grownups and Math for Writers

Of course, some lucky winner will take home one of my books Math for Grownups or Math for Writers.

Free Online Learning

And last, but not least, I’ll be offering one person the opportunity to take my new online course, “Stats for Writers,” at no charge.

So how can you win? If you already receive my newsletter, you are already in the drawing. If you’re haven’t signed up? Just complete the form below. After midnight on March 14, I’ll have my computer randomly select the winners. I’ll post their names here and contact them directly.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter, and get a bonus, just because! My guide to overcoming math anxiety: Multiply Your Math Moxie: A Painless Guide to Overcoming Math Anxiety.

Let’s get this Pi Day party started! Sign up below!

Happy Pi Day!

March 14, 2013 By Laura Leave a Comment

Photo courtesy of Mykl Roventine

In celebration of 3-14 or Pi Day, I bring you 10 interesting facts about the number π.

1. The number π is the world’s most recognizable constant.

2. π is equal to a circle’s circumference divided by its diameter. It is approximately 3.14159, though the number never stops and never repeats.

3. The symbol for pi – the Greek letter, π – has been used for about 250 years.

4. The first 144 digits of π add up to 666 or the mark of the beast. (Math must be evil.)

5. In 2008, a Wiltshire crop circle appeared, representing the first 10 digits of π.

6. The number 360 is at the 359th digit of π. The number of degrees in a circle is 360.

7. Albert Einstein was born on Pi Day in 1879.

8. The sequence 123456 never appears in the first million digits of π. However, 12345 appears eight times and 012345 appears twice.

9. At the Pi Search Page, you can find numbers – like your birthday, zip code, phone number – within the first 200 million digits of π.

10. The reflection the number 3.14 resembles the word PIE.

Happy Pi Day! Do you know any other fun facts about π? Share your ideas in the comments section.

Belated Pi Day Celebration

March 15, 2012 By Laura Leave a Comment

: Photo courtesy of SarahWynne

You know when you were little and you got sick on your birthday? It’s not quite the same thing, but I was down and out yesterday — on Pi Day! (I didn’t even get to wear my “cool” Pi sweatshirt.) So I bring you these little tidbits a day late.

What’s Pi Day, you ask? Flip back to yesterday’s calendar: March 14 or 3-14. Now think about the estimation of π or pi: 3.14. Ta-da!

Here are a few ways folks have celebrated Pi Day, thanks to the watchful eyes of my wonderful Math for Grownups readers.

Amherst College, 2004: “On March 14, or 3.14, students celebrated National Pi day by waking up at 6 a.m. and burning through 15 sticks of sidewalk chalk. Here, digits of pi trail off in front of Fayerweather Hall on National Pi Day. 2,010 digits of pi stretched from Valentine Dining Hall to Merrill Science Center.”