Pi Day 2003

Pi day 2003

Pi day 2002

Pi day 2001

3/14 15.926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078
164062862089986280348253421170679821480865132823066470938446095505822317
253594081284811174502841027019385211055596446229489549303819644288109756
659334461284756482337867831652712019091456485669234603486104543266482133
936072602491412737245870066063155881748815209209628292540917153643678925
903600113305305488204665213841469519415116094330572703657595919530921861
173819326117931051185480744623799627495673518857527248912279381830119491
298336733624406566430860213949463952247371907021798609437027705392171762
931767523846748184676694051320005681271452635608277857713427577896091736
371787214684409012249534301465495853710507922796892589235420199561121290
219608640344181598136297747713099605187072113499999983729780499510597317
328160963185950244594553469083026425223082533446850352619311881710100031
378387528865875332083814206171776691473035982534904287554687311595628638
8235378759375195778185778053217122680661300192787661119590921642019893...

Pi Recitation


Youngest contestant: Margret: 3 digits correct		Winner: Leyla: 208 digits correct

Public calculation of Pi


Hits	Misses	Total
155	93	248
Pi/2 = Total/Hits = 248/155 =8/5 = 1.6, Pi = 3.2

Monte-Carlo computation of Pi: A stick of length 2 is thrown onto the plane filled with parallel lines all distance 2 apart. If the center of the stick falls within distance a of a line, then the interval of angles leading to an intersection with a grid line has size 2 arccos(a) out of the range [0,Pi]. The probability of having an intersection at distance a is 2 arccos(a)/Pi. The probability of hitting a line is the definite integral of 2 arccos(a)/Pi over the interval [0,1] which is 2/Pi.

Pie eating contest

15 second mpg-movie showing John Boller (eating with silverware) and John Francis the winner of the contest (eating without silverware).







Winner: John Francis (last picture)

Announcement

                 Friday is Pi-day!

                  March 14, 2003

         _aajQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQa
      ajQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ?
    _QQQ??'      _QP        jQf
  _jQ?'          QQ'       _QQ
  4P'           jQf        jQP          Pi is...
               jQQ        ]QQf    Transcendental,
              jQQ'        jQQf        Irrational,
             jQQP         QQQf     and Delicious!
            jQQQ         ]QQQf
           jQQQ'         ]QQQb             Join in the festivities!
          jQQQP          ]QQQQ/            Meet famous constants!
         jQQQQ           )QQQQQ/
       _QQQQQ'            4QQQQQ  = 3.14...
       )?QQ?'             )?QQ?'  THREE events = ONE exciting day FOR you!

To celebrate this thrilling constant,
the math club has three exciting events planned:

FRIDAY, MARCH 14:

10:00 AM---Public calculation of pi in front of the science center.
2:30  PM---Digit recitation contest!  (And a poetry reading!)
3:14  PM---Pie eating contest!

Contests take place in the fourth floor lounge of the Math Department.
To get there, take the Science center elevator up to the fourth floor, and
walk into the math department.  And keep walking---you will arrive soon!

To sign up for either contest, please email jafowler@fas.harvard.edu

SPECIAL GUESTS include: famous constants pi, e, i, and oh, hopefully -you-!

Back to the Mathematics department