by Danna Martínez
The number pi has been recognized worldwide for being a mathematical constant. Today 03/14 is the commemoration of Pi number in the representation of its initial figures 3.14159…
As is known, mathematics plays an important role in the history of human beings; Mathematics has been studied from the oldest philosophers to the present. In multiple educational systems, it is considered an essential subject that contributes to students’ training since it has contributed to studying engineering, reactions, and physical theories and understanding the world around us.
One of the most emblematic and most studied numbers in arithmetic history and the world is the number Pi.
The Greek mathematician Archimedes (3rd century BC) was the one who determined the value of π, through an interval (3 10/71 – 3 1/7). With this approximation, Archimedes obtains a value very close to the actual value. The mathematician used regular polygons and calculated the relationship between a circle’s perimeter and its diameter to calculate and approximate the number pi.
The term pi comes from the words of Greek origin “περιφέρεια” (periphery) and “περίμετρον” (perimeter); also, William Oughtred (1574-1660) was the one who made the first use of this term, around 1706. Time later, Leonhard Euler (1707-1783) popularized the term.
This number is the result obtained by dividing the length of a circle by its diameter. Besides, it is an irrational number, which indicates that it has an infinite number of digits that extend after the comma. The number Pi is fundamental in multiple equations, processes, and calculations; It is also used to calculate the area of a circle, its perimeter, or the volume of a cylinder; it is applied daily to the manufacture of tires, bottles, glasses, among others.
According to the NatGeo website, “The number π is, without a doubt, one of the most emblematic irrational numbers and its infinitesimal calculation arouses sensations among fans of mathematics. Any investigation that includes a variable related to circles, circumferences, or the like will imply its calculation, from the ellipses of the spatial trajectories to the manufacture of wheels or soccer balls.”
The first to celebrate this day was Larry Shaw, an American physicist, curator, artist. According to the Reed Magazine website, “In 1988, Larry was working as a technical curator for the Exploratorium, a San Francisco museum, when he came up with the idea of honoring the influential constant with an annual party. The Exploratorium celebrated its first Pi Day on March 14 at 1:59.”
On the other hand, it is essential to note that March 14 also celebrates Albert Einstein’s birthday, a theoretical physicist known internationally to develop the relativity theory and contribute to the quantum mechanics theory.
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