“Pi”, the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet (π), is used by mathematicians to define the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Regardless of the size of the circle, pi always calculates to 3.14.
Therefore “Pi Day” is celebrated around the world on 3/14 (March 14). Anyone and everyone celebrates the day with a slice of pie, pizza, quiche, piroshki, hand pies, pot pies, or any other pie your heart desires. Unlike Pi, which never ends and the decimal digits never repeat, National Pi Day begins and ends on 3/14 and repeats every year.
Pi Day March 14 banner – Depositphotos.com
Interesting facts about pi (π)
Pi is an irrational number, which is a number that cannot be expressed as a simple fraction (such as 3¼ or 3.25). Irrational numbers do not divide evenly. The decimal digits either repeat (such as 1/3 or 0.33333…) or continue infinitely (as does the value of pi).
The Guiness Book of World Records for the most accurate value of pi is over 62 TRILLION digits long, more precisely 62,831,853,071,796 digits. This feat was achieved by University of Applied Sciences (Switzerland) in Chur, Switzerland, on August 19, 2021. It took 108 days and 9 hours to complete the calculation, adding 12.8 billion new figures to the previous record.
On Pi Day, math aficionados like to recite pi to 100 decimals. The Guiness Record for most decimal places of Pi memorized is 70,000 and was achieved by Rajveer Meena (India) at the VIT University, Vellore, India, on March 21, 2015. (We can’t recite any pi digits as our mouths are full of PIE.)
National Pi Day was declared during the 111th Congress (2009-2010) when the U.S. House of Representatives passed resolution H.Res.224 on 3/12/2009, just 2 days ahead of this very important pi-liday. The purpose of the bill was not, alas for pie. Rather, it recognizes the continuing importance of National Science Foundation math and science education programs. Pi Day encourages schools and educators to observe the day with appropriate activities that teach students about Pi and engage them about the study of mathematics. We’re down with this. But we also want to encourage the eating of pie before, during, and after this mental activity.
March 14 is theoretical physicist Albert Einstein’s birthday (1879) and the day theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking died (2018). Both lived to 76 years of age. What are the odds of all that? It’s also the birthday of the master of the sphere: Stephen Curry.
Want to know exactly how much pie you are eating? To calculate the area of a pie, multiply pi by the square of the radius, written as the formula: area = π * r² or simply πr². The radius of a circle (or pie) is half of the diameter (measured across the middle). For example, a 9-inch quiche or fruit pie would be calculated π x 4.5² = 3.14 x 20.25 = 63.6 inches. The area of a 12-inch pizza is 113.1 inches. That’s a lot of pie!
Apple pie, pumpkin pie, and berry pie – Depositphotos.com
Best bakeries and restaurants to celebrate National Pi Day
Listed below are places around the Hawaiian Island that offer all kinds of pies worthy of a Pi Day ho‘olaule‘a.
Hawaiʻi Island. Mac Pie, 74-555 Honokohau Street, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 .
Hawaiʻi Island. Moonstruck Patisserie (yelp.com), 16 Furneaux Lane, Hilo, HI 96720.
Kauaʻi. The Right Slice at Kalaheo Hawaii Bakery, 2-2459 Kaumualii Hwy, Kalāheo, HI 96741.
Kauaʻi. Village Snack Shop & Bakery (yelp.com), 55190 Kuhio Hwy, Hanalei, HI 96714.
Maui. Leoda’s Kitchen & Pie Shop, 820 Olowalu Village Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761.
Maui. Maui Pie (yelp.com), 1280 South Kihei Rd, Kihei, HI 96753.
Maui, Oʻahu. Whole Foods. Amazon Prime members typically can get a discount: $3.14 off select whole pies on March 14.
Oʻahu. Ani’s Bake Shop, 99-840 Iwaiwa St, Aiea, HI 96701.
Oʻahu. Hawaiian Pie Company, 508 Waiakamilo Rd, Honolulu, HI 96817. Pre-order for pickup.
Oʻahu. Lee’s Bakery & Kitchen (yelp.com), 125 N King St, Honolulu, HI 96817.
Oʻahu. Liliha Bakery (5 O’ahu locations).
Oʻahu. Sunnyside (yelp.com), 1017 Kilani Ave, Wahiawa, HI 96786.
Oʻahu. Sweet Revenge Honolulu. Order online for pickup at farmers markets or sign-up for delivery.
Oʻahu. Tanya’s Pies and Grill (yelp.com), 1008 California Ave Wahiawa, HI 96786.
Oʻahu. Ted’s Bakery, 59-024 Kamehameha Hwy, Haleʻiwa, HI 96712
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