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Sad day for genius... Sir Stephen Hawking has left us

It's π Day & Einstein's Birthday!

image credits: Biography.com

Pi Day is the unofficial holiday that celebrates the mathematical constant pi (π) on March 14 in the month/day date format because the digits in this date correspond with the first three digits of π (3.14). It has become an international observance that is celebrated live and online and also celebrates Albert Einstein’s birthday.

Pi Approximation Day is held on July 22 in the day/month date format because it is the approximate value of π (22/7 = 3.14).

What is Pi (π)?

image credits: in2eastafrica

Pi (π) is the mathematical constant that has been known for almost 4000 years. Its value is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter in Euclidean space or the ratio of a circle’s area to the square of its radius. The value of pi is approximately equal to 3.14159265, but it is an irrational number and its decimal representation never ends or repeats.

The lower case Greek letter π is used because it is the first letter of the Greek work περίμετρος (perimeter), which probably refers to its use in the formula perimeter divided by diameter equals the constant for all circles. The concept of π has become the most common ground between mathematicians and non-mathematicians.

What do people do?

There are many activities that celebrate Pi Day such as games, creating some type of pi ambiance, eating “pi” foods, converting things into pi, making strange mathematical endeavors like having a contest to see who knows the most digits of pi. Many people celebrate Pi Day by eating pie and discussing the relevance of π. Many teachers will use this date to engage students in activities related to pi by singing songs and carols about pi and developing pi projects.

Mathematicians, teachers, museum directors, math students of all ages and other enthusiasts celebrate the number with pi recitations, pie-baking, pie-eating contests and math-related activities.

The First Pi Day

Pi Day celebrations was founded by Larry Shaw and it was first held at the San Francisco Exploratorium in 1988. The celebrations began with the public and museum staff marching around a circular space and then eating fruit pies. The museum has since then added pizza to its menu and has grown to include activities such as creating Pi puns, Pi-related antics, and many other activities that involve Pi.

Alternative Pi Days and Pi Approximation Days

Pi Day and/or Pi Approximation Day can be celebrated on other calendar dates such as:

July 22: When 22 is divided by 7, it equals 3.14.

March 4: When 14% of the 3rd month has elapsed.

April 5: When 3.14 months of the year have elapsed.

April 26: The Earth has traveled two radians of its orbit on this day (April 25 in leap years). This is celebrated exactly on the 41st second of the 23rd minute of the 4th hour on April 26 or the 116th day. (In leap years, it is celebrated exactly on the 3rd second of the 2nd minute of the 12th hour on April 25 or the 116th day.)

November 10: The 314th day of the year (November 9 in leap years).

December 21, 1:13 p.m.: The 355th day of the year (December 20 in leap years), celebrated at 1:13 for the Chinese approximation 355/113.

Source: timeanddate.com (sligtly abridged)

You can read more about Pi Day on Teaching & Learning @ Pi Day 2012.

If you are looking for teachers' resources, check TeachPi, where you'll find ideas for Pi Day activities, learning and entertainment!

Let's give it a thought...

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Blended Learning Resources by MIT

BLOSSOMS is an MIT educational project in partnership with colleagues in Jordan and Pakistan. Each BLOSSOMS module is a multi-segment educational video to be shown in a high school math or science class, with the in-class teacher leading the students in interactive educational activities between each BLOSSOMS video segment. BLOSSOMS is funded by the Hewlett Foundation with additional funding by the Sloan Foundation and by partners in Jordan and Pakistan.

Check the following video to understand the potential of this tool:

MIT Video - WHY IS THE SKY BLUE AND THE LEAVES GREEN

The scientific power of thought

Some facts on Doomsday 2012

image credits: Red Thread Magazine

There is a widespread and unnecessary fear of doomsday on December 21^st, 2012. Some people worry about a Maya prophecy of the end of the world, others fear a variety of astronomical threats such as collision with a rogue planet. Polls suggest that one in ten people worry about whether they will survive past Dec 21^st of this year. Following are brief facts that address these doomsday fears.

Mayan Calendar: The Maya calendar, which is made up different cycles of day counts, does not end this year. Rather, one cycle of 144,000 days (394 years) ends and the next cycle begins.

Mayan Prophecy: The ancient Maya did not predict the end of the world or any disaster in December 2012. Such doomsday predictions are a modern hoax.

Planet Nibiru: Nibiru is probably the minor name of a god found in ancient Mesopotamian writing. There is no planet named Nibiru, and the fictional books by economist Zecharia Sitchin about a civilization on this planet are a hoax.

Rogue Planet Headed for Earth. For the past decade there have been reports of a rogue object (Planet X, or Nibiru, or Hercubolus, or even Comet Elenin) that will collide with Earth in December 2012. These claims are not true. If such a threatening world existed, it would be one of the brightest objects in the sky, and astronomers would have been tracking it for years. If it existed, its gravity would be distorting the orbits of planets, especially Mars and Earth. Astronomers know that it does not exist.

Planet Alignments: There is no alignment of planets in Dec 2012. There is an approximate lining up of the Earth and Sun and the center of our Galaxy in late December, but this happens every year. In any case, planet alignments have no effect on the Earth.

Pole Shift: There is nothing strange this year about either the magnetic poles or the rotational poles of the Earth. The magnetic polarity changes every million years or so, but that is not happening now, and it probably takes thousands of years when it does happen. A sudden change in the rotational axis has never happened and is not possible. If there were any change in the Earth’s rotation, it would be instantly apparent by failure of our GPS systems.

Increasing Disasters. Our planet is behaving normally in 2012, although we see more and more news stories about natural disasters. There has been no increase in earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. There has been an increase in extreme weather, including both droughts and floods, which are partly attributable to global warming, but this has nothing to do with a 2012 doomsday.

Solar Outbursts: The Sun’s ongoing 11-year activity cycle is expected to peak in 2013, not 2012. Solar outbursts can damage orbiting satellites but will not hurt us on the surface. The strength of the 2013 solar maximum is predicted to be lower than average, not higher.

Bunker Conspiracy: Accusations of a massive government cover-up are nonsense. No government could hide an incoming planet or silence hundreds of thousands of scientists. Rumors that huge bunkers have been built in the USA or elsewhere to shelter the elite are lies. Apparently a few people are building private shelters, but their fear of 2012 is misplaced and they are wasting their money.

Scaring Children: The group most vulnerable to doomsday claims is children. Teachers report that many of their students are frightened and some are even considering suicide. This is the most tragic consequence of the 2012 hoax.

The End of the World: The idea of the sudden end of the world by any cause is absurd. The Earth has been here for more than 4 billion years, and it will be several more billion years before the gradual brightening of the Sun makes our planet unlivable. Meanwhile there is no known astronomical or geological threat that could destroy the Earth.

By David Morrison (Director of the Carl Sagan Center), in Doomsday 2012 Fact Sheet (slightly abridged)