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Mad About Pi

Happy Pi Day. On March 14 (3.14 for the uninitiated), we celebrate the special number pi which has so much importance and use across all practical fields from the obvious (geometry, astronomy, architecture) to the obscure (music theory, communications, quantum physics). It is often called the most important number in the universe. Interestingly, Pi Day happens to coincide with Einstein's birthday, which is quite apt in my opinion because pi represents a mathematical wonder and Einstein surely was a human wonder.

The discovery of the number pi is credited to Greek mathematician, Archimedes, in the 3rd century BC when studying the relationship between a circle's circumference to its diameter (the ratio is pi) - hence the Greek alphabet name. However, even before that, all the way back in 1800 BCE, the Babylonians knew of it and had approximated the value in base 60 as 25/8 or 3.125. 

The beauty of pi is that the digits don't end - in mathematical terms, it is an irrational and infinite number. Although the decimal digits were only recently calculated accurately, it is believed that Indian mathematician and astronomer, Aryabhata, was the first to discover the unending aspect as he used the word ฤsanna (approaching) when he calculated it to 3.1416. Over the years, scientists have calculated it to ever-increasing accuracy (now at over a trillion digits).

In addition to all the uses listed above, pi surprisingly also has use in medicine. The most obvious use is in eye care, because it allows doctors to calculate the size and structure of the eye and helps in designing eye drops etc. Another use I discovered is in surgery. Surgeons attempting to dilate a stricture can calculate the size of the catheter, endoscope, or bougie required by measuring the circumference of the opening. by using the simple calculation we have memorized in middle school geometry: C= ๐›‘ d. It is also apparently used in studying the structure and function of the DNA.

To celebrate this special number, we had a wonderful Pi Day celebration at my school organized by yours truly as a fundraiser for Catapulta, our science magazine. We consumed 16 pies and raised over $250 for the magazine. Oh, and we also pied the AP Biology teacher in the face... because one of the most important attributes of pi is it reflects to a pie in the mirror! ๐Ÿ˜‹



Sources:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/578799 
https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/the-origins-of-pi/
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-pi-and-how-did-it-originate/

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