March 14 was a special day for mathematicians since it was tagged as the "Pi Day." Pi (π) is a mathematical symbol that represents the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.
Equivalent to 3.14 when rounded off, Pi is also considered a mathematical phenomenon because the decimal value of the symbol is said to "continue infinitely without any repetition or pattern," as per CTV News. "They go on forever, seemingly at random -except that they can't possibly be random, because they embody the order inherent in a perfect circle," said mathematician Steven Strogatz in a Z News article.
Piday.org, which highlighted the importance of the Math symbol, said the yearly celebration is observed all around the world. "While only a handful of digits are needed for typical calculations, Pi's infinite nature makes it a fun challenge to memorize, and to computationally calculate more and more digits," the website added.
According to Latin Times, Pi is a vital mathematical number since it is used by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to estimate and calculate the trajectories of their aircraft and tell the sizes of planets and crater on the outer space. During the celebration of its special day, the same report said a lot of dessert lovers and mathematicians eat pies.
Aside from the tradition, it was also noted that some also throw pies on one another while others have discussions on the importance of this Math symbol. There are also competitions in schools where students are asked to give the exact equivalent of Pi to the highest number of decimal places.
Meanwhile, Z News added that there is even a sport in South Africa which took its inspiration from Pi. Introduced in 2008, the said sport is done in a circle court and is played like beach volleyball. Two players on a team are separated by a net, pi-ball players instead stand diametrically opposite one another within the confines of a circular court," explained the same report.
