Pi Day

Activities

March 14
Mathematics Educators
of Greater St. Louis
www.mobot.org/education/megsl/pi.html
 The Mission of Pi Day
Pi Day openly promotes the celebration of mathematics education; the
collective enjoyment of mathematics; and the ageless, multicultural
interest in pi. Educators, students, and parents are encouraged to join
together in a variety of public activities, expressing in imaginative ways,
their passion for the longstanding creative nature of mathematics.

Pi Day Committee
Co-chair Gene Potter [email protected] Hazelwood West, Retired
Co-chair Patricia Kennedy [email protected] Kirby Middle School

 John Brocato Northwest Valley7/8 Grade Center

 Cathy French Hazelwood Mathematics Consultant
 Julie Gordon Hazelwood West High School
 Diane Relleke Fontbonne University
 Steven Schmitt LaSalle Springs Middle School
 Carol Sipes Kirkwood K-8 Math Facilitator

MEGSL Officers
President Jane Barnard……….. [email protected]
 President-elect………Patricia Kennedy  NCTM Rep………….Ruth Knop
 Past President………. Steve Zenk  Director…………….. Monette DeSimone
 Secretary….. Judy Leonard  Director…………….. Diane Thompson
 Treasurer…..Jim Haskins  Director…………….. Jenny Baker Santee
 Director…………….. Elizabeth Newton

The Mathematics Educators of Greater St. Louis wishes to

thank Debra Sanders, Sales Representative for Glencoe
Publishers, for generously supporting the publication of this
booklet. She can be reached at
[email protected].

P
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 Teacher's Notes
Pi Day - March 14
For the past three years, the Governor of Missouri has proclaimed March 14 as Pi Day in
order to bring a focused excitement to mathematics education throughout Missouri.

In the year 2006, π will be 300 years old. Happy birthday π. William Jones
introduced the symbol π in 1706.

 David Blatner's The Joy of Pi is a wonderful little book for any mathematics teacher.
http://www.joyofpi.com/

 Science teachers enjoy Mole Day, October 23, celebrating Avogardro’s Constant 6.02 x
1023. Communication Skill teachers celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday on April 23. Now,
MCTM and MEGSL invite Missouri’s mathematics teachers to celebrate Pi Day,
March 14.

 Pi Day has for several years been celebrated in a non-organized fashion throughout the
United States, Canada and scattered locations over the globe. Some identify Pi Day as World
Pi Day; others as National Pi Day.

 It is also the birthdays of Albert Einstein and Waclaw Sierpinski. http://www-

groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Sierpinski.html

 Buy a trophy and hold a Pi Digits Contest. How many digits of  can you recite? Can you
make the 100 Club? Visit the  club www.albanyconsort.com/pi

 Wear a Pi T-shirt on Pi Day. Discounts available for groups.

http://www.scienceteecher.com/math_shirt.htm or call 1-877-286-6212

 Elementary and middle schoolers will enjoy 'Sir Cumference and the First Round Table'
by Cindy Neuschwander, Charlesbridge Publications. Also ‘Sir Cumference and the
Dragon of Pi.’ Create a Pi Day Play based on these stories.

 Excellent Pi Day Activities for all levels are celebrated at

http://www.mathwithmrherte.com/pi_day.htm. Thank you Mr. Herte.

 Archimedes, circa 250 BC, identified pi as the same constant used to calculate area and
perimeter of circles, and for surface area and volume of spheres. In 1761, Johann Lambert
proved that pi is irrational, and in 1882, Ferdinand von Lindemann proved that pi is a
transcendal number. Archimedes’ Method http://personal.bgsu.edu/~carother/pi/Pi3.html

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 The videos, “The Story of Pi” and “The Early History of Mathematics”, are available
from the CalTech Bookstore for $34.90 (includes workbook). For details, go to
www.projectmathematics.com. Order from http://www.bookstore.caltech.edu/ (select video
& mixed media) or call 1-800-514-2665.

 Warning! Do not waste your classroom time with “Pi”, the movie, starring Sean Gullette.
It's rated R for disturbing images. A mathematician suffering from schizophrenia searches
for an elusive numerical code.

 Fund-raiser: Mathletes can take orders for (pi)eing a friend for charity.

 Write a  poem or sing a Pi-thagorean Chant. Maybe over the PA?

 You can find your birthday in pi. Visit www.façade.com/legacy/amiinpi/

 Buffon’s Needle Problem. www.mste.uiuc.edu/reese/buffon/buffon.html

 What pop group sings , , ? N Sync (Or was it ‘Bye, Bye, Bye”?)

 List formulas for approximating . (list one each day during Pi Week).

 What is  if not ? (product notation)

 Enjoy a P (a piece sub pie) on  day. Or maybe some Pi Cookies!

 Make a Student Pi circling your school by having each student hold a digit of pi. Students
write their assigned digit on notebook paper, line up, and walk outside.

 Make a Pi Chain out of construction paper by assigning colors to each digit of pi.

 Make a huge Red Balloon Pi out of three or four dozen red balloons attaching them a wall.

 At the 523,551,502 digit of pi, the sequence 123456789 appears for the first time. At the 763
digit, there are six 9's, known as the Feynmann point.

 A billion digits of pi, in standard type, would stretch from New York City to the middle to
Kansas.

 Nature and History of π by William L. Schaaf: "Probably no symbol in mathematics has

evoked as much mystery, romanticism, misconception and human interest as the number pi."

 Archimedes (c.250 BC) Tsu Chung-chih (c.480) Claudius Ptolemy (150) Fibonacci (1202) ■

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 Pi Day Pi-paloosa

In the News
This past December, Professor Kanada at Tokyo University announced the calculation
of pi to 1.2411 trillion places. This new calculation is more than six times the record
recognized by Guiness World Records of 206.158 billion places. All these decimal
places are needed to test the efficiency of new supercomputers and for new encryption
techniques.

From a practical point of view, how many decimal places of pi are needed? According
to Pi: A Source Book by Lennart Berggren, Jonathan and Peter Borwein, 39 digits will
do.

The calculation of pi to great accuracy has had a mathematical import that goes far beyond the dictates of
utility. It requires a mere 39 digits of pi in order to compute the circumference of a circle of radius (an upper
bound on the distance traveled by a particle moving at the speed of light for 20 billion years, and as such an
upper bound for the radius of the universe) with an error of less than 10 ^ (-12) meters (a lower bound for the
radius of a hydrogen atom). ■

Are these Random Digits?

Are the digits of pi random? Today's mathematics researchers are still trying to find a
proof. Certainly statistical tests are being used. The evidence is inferential, but very
strongly suggestive that they are random. Ask your students to think about the
proposition. See how they might address the issue as a project.

A middle school teacher, Pat Kennedy, posed the question to her classes. She
distributed a print out of the first 1,000 digits of pi. Drawing her students into the project,
her students decided to make a frequency table, a frequency bar graph, and then a
circle graph (graph paper attached) assigning different colors to each digit. Her
middle schoolers seemed to really enjoy working on this activity.

Other teachers have addressed this research question in another visual manner by
making a string of beads using again a different color for each digit. The students are
then asked to identify what patterns do they see if any. We must realize that these
activities address must larger issues, and we should bring those issues to the forefront
of each activity. We are not just doing colored beads. The beads are visually assisting
us in address the question of the randomness of the digits.

Take the issue a step forward by looking at pairs of digits (00-99) instead of single
digits. Ask if they are distributed equally. Or racket it up to three digits (000-999), etc.
This process is referred to as the Normality Test of pi. ■
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 Computing Pi
During the heat of August, many math teachers are sprucing up their classroom and
creating a welcoming mathematics atmosphere. Geometric models hang from the
lights. Puzzle posters dance around the room. A 4-inch strip of paper with the digits of
pi edges all four walls. On that first day of classes as students walk into your Geometry
classroom, you can sense that you have won their mind's eye for the moment.

A few weeks into the new semester, students have become bold enough to speak up.
Robert, "What is your question?" "How do they calculate all those decimal places?" he
remarks as he points to the string of pi digits bordering the walls.

Your response is critical to this pedagogical moment. Robert is looking for direction.
You might encourage him to examine the methods of Archimedes of Syracusa, who
calculated an approximation to pi using simple geometry. Archimedes was also the first
to show that the constant used in finding the circumference was the same constant
used in calculating the area of a circle. Furthermore, he was the first to show that his
new constant could be used in calculating the surface area of a sphere as well as its
volume.

The approach used by Archimedes was to pin the value of pi

between an over-estimate and under-estimate, and by increase
the number sides of inscribing and circumscribing regular
polygons squeeze in on the value of pi (the circumference of a
circle with a diameter of one unit). With a circle of diameter 1,
Archimedes used the Angle Bisector Theorem to calculate the
perimeters, and increased the number of sides from 6 to 96 by
doubling.

The approach outlined here will focus on the areas, instead of

perimeters, of inscribed and circumscribed regular polygons.
Asking your students to do the constructions will be revealing.
The operative word is patience. This construction task gives them some nice insights
into the mathematics that follows. And, most of all, you are conveying the ideas of
measurement, estimation, and the principle of the limit. The tactile nature of this activity
may frustrate a few, but most will really enjoy the change of pace.

Consider a circle of radius 1. Its area is pi. Calculate the area of an inscribed regular
polygon with 4 sides, then 8, then 16, and finally 32 sides. Make a table of the areas of
these inscribed polygons. The first inscribed area, a square, is 2. If a student's
mathematical mature prevents him from using trigonometry, one may broach the task
with a careful construction and then make a few measures.

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Do the same with circumscribed regular polygons. The first circumscribed area, a
square, is 4. If your students know some right-triangle trigonometry (sine and tangent
ratios), then the task of finding the areas becomes much easier as students will then
use their calculators. For the advanced classes, you may ask them for a generalized
statement regarding the areas in terms of the number of sides n. ■

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 Dropping Toothpicks
(Commonly known as Buffon's Needle Experiment)
In 1777, Georges Leclerc Comte de Buffon, discover of the binomial theorem, proposed
dropping a needle on lined paper and asking for the probability of the needle crossing
one of the lines. The answer surprisingly is related to pi.

With your students in teams, make 300 drops of a toothpick (one unit length) onto paper
with several parallel lines one unit apart, same length as the toothpick. Count the
number of times the toothpick crosses a line. This is a hit. The ratio of hits to 300
approaches 2/π. (hits):(total drops) approaches 2:pi.

Pi is approximated as 2 times the number of drops divided by the

number of hits. Let your students vary the needle length (L) and the
distance (D) between the lines to see if your students can propose a general formula
involving L and D. For an excellent online simulation with explanation, visit
www.efg2.com/Lab/Mathematics/Buffon.html. A proof can be found in A History of Pi by Peter
Beckman. ■

The Pi Trivia Game, Fund-raiser for the Math Team

Upper level students may enjoy a contest regarding the history of pi. Team your
students up and encourage them to study the history of pi. Best score wins. There is a
fine interactive website that quizzes students in a multiple choice format and provides
results with the correct answers. This game site randomizes the questions upon
replaying The Pi Trivia Game. If you lack computers in your classroom, create your
own set of questions. You might even wish to create a Pi Day Jeopardy Game.
Students will enjoy this challenging game at http://eveander.com/trivia/. ■

Surprising Results with Cylinders

Excerpt from MCTM – Pi Day 2002
Bring a collection of cylindrical objects to class (e.g., various size spools, cups or cans).

Ask students to examine (by looking only) the base and height of
each object. Make a guess regarding which is larger – the
circumference of the base OR the height of the cylinder? To
demonstrate the answer, use masking tape to trace around the
base of the first cylinder. Cut the masking tape to fit just around the
base. Now remove the masking tape and put it up the side of the
cylinder. Which is larger? Students are often surprised to find that
for most cylinders the circumference of the base is longer than the height. This helps
illustrate the significance of pi and its relationship to the diameter of a circle. As a
follow-up you might have students use a piece of construction paper to build a cylinder
which is taller than the base of its circumference or one that has the same height as the
cylinder. How common are cylinders with this characteristic? ■

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 An Interdisciplinary Approach to Pi Day
Pi Day can be all-subject, all-school day festival. As you examine the Pi Day Resource
List, you begin to see touches upon many subject areas. Pi Day also celebrates Albert
Einstein's birthday. What Science Teacher could refuse to celebrate? How many
science laws use pi?

It also, Waclaw Sierpinski's birthday celebration. Sierpinski is famous for his work
with the lacey design of triangles infinitely nested within triangles known as Sierpinski
Gasket. What Art Teacher could refuse?

The history of Archimedes on the isle of Sicily fighting off the mighty Roman Legions
with his inventions should appeal to any History Teacher. The final scene is of a
Roman soldier killing Archimedes and because Archimedes wanted to finish his circle
problem. Would the Shop Teacher enjoy the fact that in the Great Pyramid at Giza the
ratio of the side to the height is π /2?

For the Civic Teacher, recall the O. J. Simpson Trial on July 26, 1995, defense attorney
Blasier questions Special Agent Martz:
Q: Can you calculate the area of a circle with a five-millimeter diameter?
A: I mean I could. I don't …math I don't…I don't know right now what it is.
Q: Well, what is the formula for the area of a circle?
A: Pi R squared.
Q: What is pi?
A: Boy, you are really testing me. 2.12.
Judge Ito: How about 3.1214?
Q: Isn't pi kind of essential to being a scientist knowing what it is?

For the musically inclined, assign notes to the digits of pi. Have a pi concert.

A Communications Skills Teacher might be fascinated to hear that Michael Keith

created a poem after Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" that encodes 740 digits of pi.
"Poe E. Near A Raven", (3.1415), begins:
Midnight so dreary, tired and weary. (926535)
Silently pondering volumes extolling all by-now obsolete lore. (89793584)
During my rather long nap – the weirdest tap! (62643383) …

From Martin Gardner, place the alphabet in a circle then cross out all the letters with
vertical line symmetry, the resulting letters are in five groups with 3, 1, 4,1 and 6 letters.
3 for J,K,L; 1 for N; PQRS for 4, Z for 1, BCDEFG for 6.

How many words can students spell beginning with 'pi'? pioneer, pirate, pilot, pill, pin,
pine, pint, pipe, Pisa, pizza, pizzazz, pinochle, pillow, pie, Picasso, piano, picture,
piccolo, …

The Computer Teacher may wish to show that the probability of two numbers, chosen
randomly, being relatively prime (no common factor) is 6/pi2. Of course, the Foods
Teacher will need to make Pi Cookies. ■

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 Discovering Pi - Grades 4-6
Excerpt from MCTM – Pi Day 2002

Hold up to the class a large round object. Use a string to show the diameter of the
object then ask students to estimate the number of times they think the diameter will fit
around the edge (circumference) of the round object. Will two diameters go around the
circumference? Will three? How about four? Take all estimates, recording them on the
board. Tell students you’d like them to collect some data to get a better estimate.
Organize students groups of 2-4. Each group needs a piece of string (about 10 ft. long).
Ask each group to locate a circular object in the classroom or around the school
(trashcan, clock face, cup, playground carousel, top of the key on a basketball court,
etc.). Outline the circumference of the circular shape with the string, marking the total
length on the string. Next, use the string to trace the diameter of the circular object.
Mark this measurement on the string. Go back to your desk and work together to get a
measurement (in centimeters) of the two lengths you’ve marked. Use a meter stick or
ruler to measure the circumference and diameter of the circular object. Record your
results on a class chart (see sample below).

Once all groups have their measures on the class chart, C d C÷d
ask them to see if they want to revise the estimates they
gave earlier. Ask students to calculate C÷d and record
this ratio in the 3rd column. Depending on how accurate
students were able to measure C and d, the ratio should
be about 3.14 (pi!). Draw student's attention to the fact
that even though they all measured different sized objects,
it appears to take about 3 diameters to fit around a
circumference. In fact it takes π diameters to make a
circumference where π is a little more than 3 or 3.14159…
■

The Brainy Bunch

Have students make a table recording all the prime numbers less than or equal to n.
Let n go from 25 to 200. Mathematicians sometimes use pi as a function π(n), the
prime number function. π(10) = 4 since there are only 4 primes less than or equal to
10. Karl Gauss at the age of 15 conjectured the famous Prime Number Theorem
whict was later proven by de la Vallee Poussin in 1896. It states that the ratio of the
number primes which are ≤ n to n /ln(n) approaches 1 as n increases.

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 Rolling Along - Grades 7-8
Excerpt from MCTM – Pi Day 2002

To explore the ratio of circumference to diameter, have students develop a graph of this
relationship, with diameter as the x-coordinate and circumference as the y-coordinate.

Have students collect circular objects (cups, cans, CDs, etc.) of various sizes. Tape a
large sheet of graph paper to the board. Ask each student to plot the diameter
versus the circumference of his or her circular object on the graph paper. To do this,
line up the left side of the can on the origin and mark the right side of the can (diameter)
along the x-axis (bottom of the graph). Then take the can and mark a starting point on
the can, lining up the starting point with the x-axis. Roll the can up one revolution (1
complete roll) and mark the end point. Repeat for all of the circular objects.

What does the graph look like? Does it have a constant slope? What is the slope (π)! ■

Squaring a Circle
Excerpt from MCTM – Pi Day 2002

The diagram shows a circle with a shaded square. The side of the square is the same
as the radius of the circle. A square such as this is called a “radius-square.”

Use centimeter graph paper to make your own circle (of any size). Make 4-5 copies of
a radius-square for your circle using another sheet of centimeter graph paper. Estimate
how many radius-squares it takes to fill in the area of the circle (cut the radius-squares
into parts and fit them into the circle). Repeat this activity using several different sized
circles (or have other members of the class each do the activity with a different sized
circle). What did you find? About how many radius-squares does it take to cover the
area of a circle? Students will find that it takes a little more than 3 radius-squares to fill
the circle. In fact, Area of a circle = π radius-squares or πr2. ■

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The grid paper below can be used to create a frequency chart for the digits in pi. The
teacher may select the first 100 or 200 digits of pi (or sequential subsets of the digits) for the
chart. Student should then write a paragraph stating their conclusions.

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