how to celebrate pi day

Circles (and math) are all around us. Pi has mystified and inspired mathematicians throughout history, so much so, that the math equation has its own national holiday. Pi and its homonym, pie, are widely celebrated by math and dessert enthusiasts on National Pi Day, March 14, since 3,1, and 4 are the first three figures of pi. But more than an excuse to eat round food, Pi Day celebrates the mathematical constant that has many uses. 

A mathematical constant 
Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. But what makes pi special is that no matter how large or small a circle may be, the ratio's value doesn’t change. Not only is pi a mathematical constant, it’s also an irrational number, meaning it cannot be expressed as a ratio of two integers (a whole positive or negative number, including zero), there is no repeating pattern, and has an endless decimal representation. In 1709, mathematicians began using the Greek letter π to represent the infinite number.  

“Pi is essential for understanding and doing any calculations dealing with things that are circular in shape,” says Edmar Ramos, a math teacher at Waipahu High School, who remembers teaching students the formula for calculating the distance around a circle by measuring a roll of tape. “They discover that the ratio is always approximately 3.14, which is an approximation for pi.” 

The (everyday) life of pi 
Pi is used for everyday calculations like measuring a circle of tape, to math, to describing intangible circles and rhythms, like baby sleep cycles and electromagnetic waves, to computing how long it takes for a spacecraft to orbit a planet. In short, pi is a way to see that patterns exist everywhere and help us better understand the universe and world around us. 

“Humans have known the concept of pi for almost 4,000 years,” says Ramos. “With time and sophisticated technology, more and more digits of pi have been discovered, with the latest record set in 2024 of 202 trillion digits having been discovered.”  

The first noted Pi Day celebration took place in 1988 when physicist Larry Shaw created a party for his staff at San Francisco’s Exploratorium science museum, but it wasn’t until 2009, the U.S. Congress officially declared March 14 as National Pi Day.  

Pi Day today 
Schools and organizations around the world celebrate Pi Day as a fun way to give students a chance to interact with math and numbers while connecting pi to calculate information for circular shapes.  

Ramos said before 2020, Waipahu High School celebrated Pi Day during lunch, open for all students to participate in a classic memorization contest to see who could recite the most digits of pi from memory. Winners received handmade medals in the shape of lattice pies topped with the pi symbol. After taking a break due to social distancing and Pi Day falling during Spring Break, Pi Day was revived in 2024. 

“Not only did we have the classic memorization contest, but we also had a pie eating contest, and a trivia game where all the answers started with ‘pi,’” said Ramos, who also has facilitated Pi Day activities for the Oahu Mathematics League for the last three years.  

Kapolei Middle School is another Hawaii school that has been celebrating Pi Day since the early 2000s. Past Pi Day celebrations have included day-long festivities in the cafeteria and classrooms, with readings of Cindy Neuschwander’s “Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi,” determining the circumference of circular foods, pi-related comics, and playing Mono-Pi-Ly (a circular game where contestants calculate the diameter of two dice and answer pi-related questions to win).  

A favorite Pi Day tradition at Kapolei Middle School has been its annual pi memorization contest. The contest announcement is typically revealed in January and the top three students who memorize the most digits after pi win a chance to “pie” a staff member of their choice in front of the student body.  

“Most students memorize around 50 digits,” says a Kapolei Middle School teacher. “But our winners range between 100 to 300 digits. Our most recent school record was broken in 2022 after holding strong since 2011. Eighth grader Matthew Kot memorized and recited 631 digits of pi. His tip was to memorize numbers as if it were phone numbers.”  

DIY Pi Day! 
Create a Pi Day of your own at home to recognize the importance of math in our daily lives. After all, studies have shown it can help support our mental and emotional health too! In addition to reading pi-related books, comics, and memes, Kapolei Middle School teachers recommend celebrating the day by eating only circular foods with a spoon and round napkins. Fun options include pizza, quiche, tater tots, grapes, carrot coins, circular-shaped cookies and chips, canned juice, and of course, pie. Here are some fun and easy pie recipes: 

• avocado key lime pie 
• dutch apple pie
• lemon tofu pie [Feb. 4 publish day]
• pumpkin cheesecake (no-bake)
  
• sweet potato pie (grain-free)

Island Scene has a newsletter! Get a roundup of recent articles and ono recipes. Email feedback@islandscene.com to sign up.