Happy Pi Day -- Story, Drawings, Books, and a Recipe

Hooray for Pi Day! 3.14159 . . .I admit it took me a long time to understand the very basics of Pi. But I can now use it to figure out the circumference of a circle and the radius or diameter of a circle of any size.

If you want to know the diameter of a Maple tree to figure out if it's large enough for tapping for Maple Syrup, Pi will help. Just measure the circumference of the tree and divide by pi. (3.14159 . . .)

Not sure of  the circumference of your hoola-hoop? Measure the diameter and multiply by pi.

What I like the most about Pi Day is that it uses math and strives to make it fun. . . and tasty.

This year, I am wearing my Einstein shirt not because he invented Pi, he didn't, but today would have been his birthday and he did some pretty cool stuff and had some wonderfully creative thoughts and ideas.

He said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge." He believed that we need to go beyond our collection of knowledge and come up with new ideas, thoughts, and possibilities.

So I took these two ideas and used my imagination to write a 50 word short story for a writing contest called 50 Precious Words, put on by Vivian Kirkfield.

Here's my story:

The Pi(e) Problem: an ala mODE to Pi Day

By Sarah Tobias, 50 precious words

My mathematician parents fill their office with equations. They mutter, “Could pi be the solution?” Aha! I've got it! I measure, mix, roll and stuff then wait by the oven. Ding! It’s done. I cut. I plate. I carry it to their office. “I hope this pie solves your problem.”

And I created three little Pi Cartoons.

If you would like to read and learn more about Pi check out this blog post of Science Books for Kids for a list of books.

If you are in the mood to do a little Pie baking, I can recommend this yummy Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. It's almost pie, just no crust. I have swapped out the fruit and used apples too. Delicious!

Well, there you have it. Happy Pi(e) Day!