"Pi, Einstein, and the Infinite Cosmos:

 

"Pi, Einstein, and the Infinite Cosmos: Celebrating the Intersection of Mathematics and Genius on International Pi Day"

March 14th, also known as 3/14, is Pi Day, a Thursday observed by math aficionados worldwide, ranging from college students to rocket scientists. Pi is the first three digits of an infinite number that has numerous applications.

Many people celebrate this day by having a slice of pie, whether it be sweet, savoury, or even pizza, all around the world.

To put it simply, Pi is a mathematical constant that represents the ratio of the diameter to the circumference of a circle. Relating back thousands of years to ancient Egypt, Babylon, and China, it is a component of numerous formulas used in physics, astronomy, engineering, and other professions.

When physicist Larry Shaw started celebrating at the San Francisco science museum Exploratorium in 1988 that is when Pi Day officially began. It took the holiday twenty years to truly become well-known across the country. Congress declared 14 March to be the big day every year in 2009 in an effort to increase public interest in math and science. It makes sense that Albert Einstein's birthday falls on this day.

Here’s a little more about the holiday’s origin and how it’s celebrated today.

WHAT IS PI?

By measuring the diameter, or the distance measured straight across the circle's middle, and multiplying that result by 3.14 plus one, Pi can determine the circumference of a circle.

Mathematically speaking, it is irrational because it is infinite and regarded as a constant. Scientists from the past, including Isaac Newton, devoted many hours on manual decimal place calculations long before computers. There is no limit to the billions of digits that academics have discovered for pi thanks to modern, highly advanced computers.

WHY IS IT CALLED PI?

The Welsh mathematician William Jones gave it its name in 1706 when he started using the Greek symbol for the number.

Why was that letter sent? Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It is the initial Greek letter in the words "periphery" and "perimeter."

WHAT ARE SOME PRACTICAL USES?

To correctly orient an antenna towards a satellite, the number is essential. It aids in determining everything from the dimensions of the enormous cylinder required for refinery apparatus to the size of the paper rolls used in printers.Pi is also helpful in figuring out how big a tank should be to service the air conditioning and heating systems in different sized buildings.

On a daily basis, NASA uses pi. It is essential for computing orbits, planet and celestial body positions, rocket propulsion components, spacecraft communication, and even the proper deployment of parachutes in the event of an Earth or Mars landing.Scientists claim it can compute the circumference of the Earth with an accuracy of only 0.6 centimeters, or a quarter of an inch, for every 25,000 miles (or 40,000 km) when using just nine digits of pi.

IT’S NOT JUST MATH, THOUGH

The San Francisco museum that created the festival plans celebrations each year, which include a march around a circular plaque known as the Pi Shrine, 3.14 times. There are also, of course, tonnes of pie-related festivities. Nowadays, college campuses host a large number of events across the nation. In Florida, for instance, Nova Southeastern University is hosting a number of events, such as a 'Mental Math Bingo' game and a free pizza (pies) event with the obligatory pie for dessert.

According to Jason Gershman, chair of NSU's math department, "Pi Day gives us a time to celebrate math, have some fun, and recognize how vital arithmetic is in all our lives every year."

It's one of the busiest days of the year for manager Stephen Jarrett at Michele's Pies in Norwalk, Connecticut.

In an interview, Jarrett stated, "We have hundreds of pies going out for orders (Thursday) to companies, schools, and just individuals." Because people love to make fun and delicious things out of mathematical numbers, Pi Day is such a funny and enjoyable occasion. Pi Day is simply an occasion to indulge in a small treat, and many celebrate it by eating both savoury and sweet pies.

With its yearly "Pi Day Challenge" on the internet, NASA provides users with an abundance of games and puzzles, some straight out of the space agency's manual. Examples include figuring out an asteroid's orbit or the daily distance a moon rover would have to cover to examine a particular area of the moon.

 

WHAT ABOUT EINSTEIN?     

Einstein, who is arguably the most well-known scientist in the world, was born in Germany on March 14, 1879. Many of his ground-breaking theories made use of the infinite number of Pi, and Pi Day today provides another excuse for the globe to honour his accomplishments. Famous physicist Stephen Hawking passed away on March 14, 2018, at the age of 76, in a bit of mathematical symmetry. Pi is not a perfect number, though. One of the fundamental laws of the universe is that nothing is flawless, he once stated.Simply put, perfection is unattainable. Both you and I would not exist if there were no imperfections.

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