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!

Happy Birthday, Albert Einstein Let's Have Pi

"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution. It is, strictly speaking, a real factor in scientific research."

This is one of my favorite quotes by Einstein. Today is his birthday and therefore, in my opinion, a good day to celebrate. It also happens to be Pi Day and, well, that gives us a great excuse to eat Pie and learn about math. For the last several years, I have used this day to gain a better understanding of both Einstein and Pi. I have learned that while Einstein did not discover Pi or name Pi, he did use pi (π) in his work. Pi is used in understanding the circadian rhythms of our sleep, planning

flight patterns, making our GPS' work, and much much more.

I decided this year to celebrate Einstein's birthday and Pi with some art and imagination. I wanted to play and also work on a project that my sister, who is developmentally disabled, could work on as well. I went upstairs to my art closet to get some large paper. Then I got caught up in ideas and possible things that we could use. After a while, Jane was upstairs wondering what I was doing. I was really on a bit of a mental walk down memory lane as I had come across some of my old artwork. Pieces buried and hidden in a closet. A stark reminder that I have hidden my talent and desire to be an nature artist for a long time. She woke me out of my reverie. I then attempted to explain to her a little bit about Pi and plans for the day.

I grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and I drew a circle. I explained that the number 3.14 was the number for pi and that it is always the ratio between the diameter of a circle and its circumference. Since it is hard to measure around a circle, if you measure across the center/widest part of the circle and multiply it times pi, you will get the size of the circumference every time no matter the size of the circle. Jane nodded and agreed with what I said. So far so good.

We then proceeded to gather supplies for our art projects that would be an Ode to Pi and Imagination. I found several items that were round and could be traced to make circles. I pulled out my father's compass set.

Grabbed a few old magazines and a stack of old photographs that have languished in a drawer long enough. We took our supplies down to the dining room table and started to create. 

We drew and painted, traced, cut and glued. Along the way, I wrote a few haiku's. Not sure why, but I enjoy fitting my thoughts into the simple 575 syllable structure of these Japanese poems. (In case you are wondering the number combination 575 appears in the 411th position after the decimal point of Pi).

We took a break for lunch and had . . .

Circumference of pizza = 26.7035 inches
Circumference of pepperoni = 3.9269 inches
Area of pizza = 56.7449 square inches (ℼrsquared)

After several hours of cutting and playing, we had completed our Ode's to Pi and Imagination. 

By Jane

And this is mine.

I had another thought along the way. As I looked at all my old almost forgotten photographs, I saw that I have always been connected to nature, but I didn't really understand it. I accepted that I liked it and rarely went any further than that until 2014. That was the year that I became a Master Naturalist. Peggy Doty taught me, most importantly I think, to be curious and see the connection between all things. The readings and other class teachers provided a basis to gain a deeper scientific understanding of all the beautiful things I see in the world. My love of nature has become a lovely blend of science and art, forever connected and always expanding.

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when one contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality, It is enough if one tries to comprehend only a little of this mystery every day. " -- Albert Einstein. 

If you want more on Pi:

Nasa offers up a Pi Challenge

There is a Pi Day website so be sure to check it all out and celebrate Pi with all the cool kids.