A Pi Day to… forget? :-(

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Hi friends,

It’s usually a good thing when Pi Day falls on a Saturday. The last two times this has taken place were both momentous dates in our shared history of Pi:

 

  • 2015:  March 14 fell on a Saturday in 2015, which, of course, marked the Pi Day of the Century (3.14.15).  I’ll never forget where I was – cheering at the precise moment with 500 fellow math lovers at a gathering in Los Angeles, where I later gave a keynote lecture and  my pal Pi Diddy interrupted the official digit memory contest with a surprise rap performance.  (He’s such a spotlight-hog.)
  • 2009:  This Pi Day Saturday capped off the end of a historic week in which the U.S. House of Representatives debated and (not quite unanimously) passed a resolution to recognize and honor our favorite holiday.  I was also with a group of about 250 math folks on the big day, speaking, performing, and sharing the breaking news coming out of the halls of Congress.

But alas, Saturday, March 14, 2020 came and went with a bit of a whimper for most of us, myself included.  While many kids continued to crank out ever-impressive additions to the rankings, we’ve generally had bigger things on our mind this year than the joy of an infinitely beautiful number.  Instead, we’ve all been focused on bending the curve of the spread of the covid-19 virus away from infinity and toward zero.  Kudos to everyone who has been making sacrifices and helping their fellow humans during this time of worldwide need.

The nice thing about infinity is that there will always be another digit, and there will always be another Pi Day.  For this one, we Pi people just had to keep it simple and celebrate quietly.  For my part, I sang Pi Day carols with my kids over slices of apple pie.  Good enough for 3.14.20.  Looking forward to 3.14.21.

Stay healthy and never stop appreciating the beauty in the world around us – numerical and otherwise!

Luke

Feels Like the Good Ol’ (Pi) Days!

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Partners in Pi,

This year’s Pi Day just feels right. After a few years of paused traditions, unspoken digits, and uneaten slices, Pi Day 2023 feels like a good old fashioned, typical Pi Day… and that’s a good thing! It falls on a Tuesday, which is a perfectly bland day in the school and work week to spice up with your favorite celebrations from yesteryear… or with a brand new idea that you’ve been cooking up.

Creativity certainly springs eternal in the Pi community: schools and companies are starting new gatherings, digit memory contests are popping up everywhere, and those with musical and lyrical gifts have gotten back to work writing new song tributes, including folks like high school teacher Mr. Jacques and science writer Devin Powell. (Check out their brand new musical offerings on the Your Music page!)

This marks the 36th Pi Day in the holiday’s official modern era — that’s an even three dozen!  I’m so fortunate to been actively involved in 25 of them (wow, I’m starting to feel a bit… infinite!).  I will always draw energy from the collective buzz around the holiday as it approaches, and maybe this is just an old timer talking, but this one really does feel like we as a Pi community are fully back in business, and ready to eat up, memorize, sing out, and celebrate!

Pi Day Forever,

Luke