Every year, Pi Day is celebrated on 3/14– the date being the first 3 digits of mathematical constant pi’s infinite digits (3.14). But how do OSHS’s students and teachers feel about and celebrate Pi Day?
Many OSHS students have fond memories of Pi Day in middle school. OSMS held yearly competitions, challenging students to memorize as many digits as possible. Junior Shelby Pauloski said, “I really loved our Pi Day competitions, and I found joy in memorizing as many numbers as I could. I think that we should still bring pie into math class on Pi Day in high school.” Junior Mia Casertano reflected, “In middle school, I remember preparing for Pi Day using a strategy of memorizing 3 digits at a time. It was definitely a lot more important to me in middle school than it is in high school, but at this point many of the numbers at this point have become embedded in my memory.”
Algebra II and Pre-Calculus teacher Mrs. Lopez said, “I love Pi Day. I think it’s a nice day to talk about the importance of math, and to have a little bit of pie.” She added that she celebrated by bringing in circular food items, such as Oreos or donuts, and having her students measure the circumference and diameter to mathematically calculate the value of pi. “We usually do a competition,” Lopez explained. “[The students] put what they get on the board, and whoever’s closest gets a little pie.”
AP Statistics, Business Math, and Pre-Calculus teacher Mrs. Barnes noted, “My question is, why don’t we celebrate Avogadro’s number, or E day, or some other mathematical thing. I just think it’s a little bit of a stretch.” As a matter of fact, days do exist for these numbers: Mole Day celebrates Avogadro’s number (6.02 x 1023) on 10/23 from 6:02 am to pm, and E Day occurs on 2/7 as an homage to the first 2 digits of Euler’s number (2.7). However, as Barnes mentioned, these holidays are far less acknowledged and renowned than Pi Day.
Lopez and Barnes also each shared their opinions on the memorization of pi. Lopez stated, “I’m not really a big memorization person. I like watching the competitions, but I’ve never done one here. I know kids can tell me how many digits they knew [in middle school]. I think it’s a cool middle school activity.” Barnes explained, “I think Pi Day is really fun, but I think that, because pi is an irrational number that can never reach an end, memorizing digits of pi is a giant waste of a student’s brain power.”
