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Overview
Pi Day is an international holiday observed annually in celebration of the Pi (π), the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter and one of the most well-known mathematical constants typically approximated as 3.14159, which corresponds to the calendar date March 14th in its numeric format (3/14). Online, the Pi Day is widely celebrated through discussions, homophonic wordplays, such as throwing or eating baked pies, and other creative interpretations of the irrational number.
Background
The earliest known celebration of the Pi Day was organized on March 14th, 1988 by American physicist Larry Shaw, who was then working at the San Francisco Exploratorium, with staff scientists and visitors partaking in a symbolic march around one of its circular spaces and eating fruit pies afterwards. In addition, because the holiday coincides with the birthday of the famed theoretical physicist Albert Einstein, the day has grown into a general celebration of math and science.
Notable Developments
- On March 14th, 2010, Google celebrated the PI Day with a Google Doodle featuring the company’s name superimposed over images of circles and π symbols.
- In 2012, the admissions office at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) began sending its response letters to the applicants on Pi Day at 6:28 p.m. (EST) in dual observance of the Pi (π) and Tau (τ), the latter of which represents the time constant (τ = 6.283185) in physics and engineering.