Everybody loves a holiday in honor of food—especially math teaches. March 14th is not an ordinary day, it is a unique day that honors math, through food (specifically pie). Pi Day is a worldwide annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is observed on March 14th due to the fact that the 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π. Pi Day has been observed in many ways, including pie eating contests, throwing pies and discussing the significance of the number π.

Pi (π) is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter. The first accurate calculation of pi was done by Archimedes of Syracuse (287–212 BC), one of the greatest mathematicians of the ancient world. Mathematicians began using the Greek letter π in the 1700s. Even though pi has been around for many centuries, the celebration of Pi Day has only begun recently. The first known celebration of Pi Day was organized by Larry Shaw, a physicist, in 1988 at the San Francisco Exploratorium, with staff and public marching around one of its circular spaces, then consuming fruit pies. On March 12, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution recognizing March 14th as National Pi Day.

The math department at Yorba Linda High School hosts many festivities for students to participate in. Some of these events include free pie, a Pi Day poster contest, pie eating contest, and the reciting of digits of pi. Students will have the opportunity to donate pie for extra credit in their math classes. Math teachers will be releasing information about it soon. All students have the opportunity to receive a piece of pie at lunch thanks to ASB. Students who submit a special Pi Day poster will have the opportunity to be judged and named the winner of the YLHS Annual Pie Day poster, the winner’s poster will be displayed in the front office trophy case. At lunch, ASB will be holding a pie eating contest in the quad for students to participate in. Students also can memorize pi, an irrational number (one that never ends), and recite as many digits as they can.

Students at Yorba Linda are very excited to participate in the festivities on March 14th. Sidney Tran (11) stated, “I cannot wait for Pi Day. I look forward to it every year mainly for the free pie. The math department and ASB does a great job helping students celebrate such an odd holiday.”