At 9:26:53 a.m. today, a moment in history won’t happen again for another century. Yes, it’s Pi Day; a day to celebrate a Greek symbol (π) that represents at least one thing in your day that is considered a constant.
Today’s date, 3/14/15, continued with the morning hour (in military time, otherwise, the evening marked as 21:26:53) make up the first 10 digits of this never-ending constant used in math – the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter – is approximately 3.141592653. You don’t have to be a math geek to appreciate this favorite number. And thanks to a San Francisco Exploratorium physicist, Larry Shaw, the constant has been celebrated since 1988.
“Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point. As an irrational and transcendental number, it will continue infinitely without repetition or pattern. While only a handful of digits are needed for typical calculations, Pi’s infinite nature makes it a fun challenge to memorize, and to computationally calculate more and more digits,” according to PiDay.org. The number Pi is extremely useful when solving geometry problems involving circles.
So, bake or eat a pie today and enjoy some Bay Area Pi activities:
If you are riding BART this morning, riders are encouraged to give a shout out at the exact moment of pi in recognition of the ways BART uses Pi. And in Mountain View today, the Computer History Museum will celebrate with an abundance of activities starting with early admission starting at 9:26 a.m., and limited half-priced admission (more activities listed below. Reservations are suggested.).
Pi Day activities at the Computer History Museum:
Early Hours and Admission Information:
9:26 AM-The Museum is opening its doors early in honor of the sixth, seventh, and eighth digits of Pi and granting FREE admission to eager partygoers who arrive before or at 9:26 AM.
9:27-10 AM-Enjoy half-priced admission. All Pi Day activities are included with admission.
10 AM-11AM: Regular admission. Pi Day activities are included with Museum admission and free to Museum members.
Space is limited for some events and workshops. To reserve your spot, register at the links below.
10:30 AM- 3:00 PM: Book Reading
Attend a reading of Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi! Follow Sir Cumference, Lady Di of Ameter, and Radius on their adventure to solve a riddle using the magical number Pi! Hear this story come to life and purchase an autographed copy in the Museum Store.
11:00 AM- 12:30 PM: Uncovering the History of Pi
Visit a series of stations in the lobby that will introduce the history of Pi, explore how Pi is calculated, and highlight the journey of Pi throughout history with a showcase of artifacts from the Museum’s collection.
11:30 AM- 12:30 PM: Raspberry Pi Family Workshop with Piper
Piper is a hacker toolbox that uses Raspberry Pi circuits to teach kids how to build electronics while playing Minecraft. This workshop is for children ages 9-12 and their parents.
11:30 AM- 3:00 PM: Raspberry Pi Family Workshop with Wolfram
Learn the fast and easy way to program! Stop by Wolfram’s workshop to create a stop motion video with just a few lines of code, learn the programming basics of Wolfram Language, and how to use it to talk to a Raspberry Pi. All ages are welcome.
2:00 PM- 3:00 PM: Raspberry Pi Family Workshop with Next Thing Co.
Build your own camera using Raspberry Pi! Meet the team from Next Thing Co. and learn how they use Raspberry Pi in their work.
2:00 PM- 6:00 PM: Raspberry Pi Family Workshop with Wolfram
Learn the fast and easy way to program! Stop by Wolfram’s workshop to create a stop motion video with just a few lines of code, learn the programming basics of Wolfram Language, and how to use it to talk to a Raspberry Pi. All ages are welcome.
3:00 PM: Raspberry-Pi Showcase
See how local innovators are using Raspberry Pi in their work in this showcase of Pi creations! Meet Pi programmers, ask them questions, and see their projects up close!
5:00 PM: Pi Day After-Party
We’re keeping the celebration going with free admission to our Pi Day after-party! Enjoy the Raspberry Pi showcase, music in our lobby, and delicious PiE, PiZZA, and PiNTS, available for purchase in our Cloud Café.
Space is limited for some events and workshops. To reserve your spot, register online at Computer History Museum.