(courtesy of Wikipedia)
On Sunday, math enthusiasts worldwide will celebrate Pi Day, a day dedicated to honoring the Greek letter pi.
Pi Day is celebrated every year on March 14 because numerically, pi is equal to 3.14, followed by over a trillion digits past the decimal.
Many CU students say they look forward to Pi Day each year and celebrate by eating copious amounts of pie.
Kat Pickens McConnell, hall director for the Engineering Quad, said the Quad is planning a big celebration for this year’s Pi Day.
“On March 14, we will be serving pie on the Quad for the residents at 1:59 p.m., because the digits of pi are 3.14159,” Pickens McConnell said. “We are also doing a fundraiser for the Buffalo Can Challenge, so if students bring two cans [to donate] they can throw a pie at their RA.”
According to the Pi Day Web site, the symbol for pi was first used in 1706 and was later made popular by a Swiss mathematician. The symbol is now widely used in mathematics and is used to represent the relationship between a circle’s circumference and diameter.
Pickens McConnell said the event has been pretty popular in the past and it has been an annual tradition for the past few years.
“Pie is generally a good way to create excitement,” Pickens McConnell said. “We have been putting up flyers and big banners in the halls in the Quad. We are expecting a good turnout, so the dining halls are preparing about 40 pies.”
Seth Wilkinson, a 22-year-old junior engineering major, shared his sentiments about Pi Day.
“I don’t really have a big celebration for it, but everyone acknowledges it,” Wilkinson said. “I think it would be a really big deal if it fell on a Friday or Saturday, but I usually eat pie on Pi Day.”
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jessica Freeman at Jessica.freeman@colorado.edu.
