St. Albert residents will get to celebrate a once-in-a-century mathematical event this weekend by eating lots of pie.
Math and pastry fans the world over will flex their digits and dig in this Saturday to celebrate the 27th annual Pi Day.
Invented in 1987 by U.S. physicist Larry Shaw, Pi Day is an international event that celebrates the irrational number known as p (pi) – a mathematical constant vital to many calculations.
Pi Day falls on March 14 as that date abbreviates to 3/14, which corresponds to the first three digits of pi.
But this is also the year 2015, and 3/14/15 is the first five digits of pi, notes Samantha Marion, staff scientist and mathematician at the Telus World of Science in Edmonton. Add the time 9:26:53 a.m. onto that, and you have the first 10 digits of pi (3.141592653).
"We end up being able to celebrate 10 full digits," Marion says – something we can only do every 100 years. That's why many groups are calling this year the "ultimate" pi day, she notes.
Elmer S. Gish students plan to celebrate Pi Day on Friday by having 100 students line up outside the school each holding a digit of pi, says teacher Danielle Hagg. They'll also eat pie in math class and compete to see who can memorize the most digits of pi.
Bellerose students will celebrate Pi Day this Thursday by buying pie slices to raise money for the St. Albert Food Bank, says math department head Bill Willette. The sale raised about $500 last year.
The often-homemade pies are donated by staff members who compete to see who has the most delicious one, Willette continues. The math department is the current champ, but the front-office staffers are eager to take back the title.
Willette says he plans to wear a "p-rate" shirt Thursday as well.
"The kids that love math, they put a great big smile on their face."
The Telus World of Science will kick off Pi Day on Saturday at precisely 9:26:53 a.m. with their first-ever Pi Day blueberry pie-eating contest, Marion says.
"It's going to be face-only – the hands will be behind the back," she says.
"We want it to be as messy as possible."
Participants will sign up at 9 a.m., with organizers picking three contestants from them in a random draw. Contestants will have 60 seconds to eat as much of a pie as possible, with the winner being the person who eats the most pie by mass.
The winner will get a prize pack worth about $750 that includes gift certificates, hockey game tickets, and souvenirs from past exhibits at the centre.
Other visitors can sample blueberry pie ice cream (made with liquid nitrogen), write pi poetry (where each word has a number of characters corresponding to the appropriate digit in pi), make pi bracelets or do other circle-themed activities.
All activities are free with admission, Marion says.
Why pi?
Willette says pi is one of the most significant numbers in math, one that shows up virtually everywhere in higher mathematics.
In addition to its use in calculating the area of a circle, pi is used in any calculation involving periodic motions (such as sound waves) or circular paths (such as roller coasters), Marion says.
Pi Day also corresponds to the birthday of physicist Albert Einstein, Marion notes. Visitors to the World of Science are encouraged to dress up as Einstein on Pi Day.
If you hate pi for some reason, you could always become a "tauist" and celebrate Tau Day on June 28.
Tau is an alternative to pi promoted by some mathematicians and is equal to about 6.28, or twice the value of pi.
Marion says she prefers pi.
"Pi is something people have heard of … plus you get the additional bonus of being able to eat pie."
Pi Day should not be confused with National Pie Day, which is Jan. 23.
Visit piday.org for details.
