RICHMOND, Va. — In recent years, America has enthusiastically geeked out over Pi Day, which happens on March 14, but this year in Super Pi Day and is infinitely cooler than all the others. That’s because it is the only day in this century that aligns with the infinite number’s sequence: 3.14.15. It’s uniqueness may be overshadowed this year though by all the early St. Patrick’s Day celebrations happening in town.
And if you mark pi at 9:26.53 in the morning or night, you’re just a little more in line with the celebrated irrational number that never ends. To 31 decimal places, pi is 3.1415926535897932384626433832795.
A few local places will be offering specials to mark the extra special day.
Proper Pie Co. in Church Hill will be giving away 100 limited edition Pi Day mugs, with purchase, while supplies last (they open at noon).
The Science Museum of Virginia offers early entrance and activities that kick-off at 9:26 a.m. on Saturday.
All Fired UP offers $3.14 off a $15 minimum purchase, at both locations, if you mention Pi Day.
Shyndigzwill do almost all Pie menu, which will include their most popular flavors as well as the return of favorite flavors that have been discontinued over the years.
None of the local pizza places contacted are offering a Pi Dayspecific special.
A few more tidbits about pi and Pi Day:
About pi
Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. It’s not equal to the ratio of any two whole numbers, so an approximation — 22/7 — is used in many calculations. Pi is essential in architecture and construction and was used frequently by early astronomers. Pi has been known for about 4,000 years, but it started to be called by the Greek letter only in the 1700s.
The origin of Pi Day
Pi Day started 27 years ago at San Francisco’s Exploratorium. Physicist Larry Shaw, who worked in the electronics group at the museum, started celebrating pi on March 14, 1988, primarily with museum staffers. The tradition has grown to embrace math enthusiasts from all walks of life.
Celebrations
This year, the Exploratorium is hosting a day-long celebration at its facility on Pier 15, including a Pi Procession, servings of pie and a pizza pie dough-tossing event.
Pi Day is also Albert Einstein’s birthday. In Princeton, New Jersey, where Einstein lived for more than two decades, signs of the scientist permeate the Pi Day festivities, from birthday parties at the Historical Society of Princeton to an Einstein lookalike contest. Plus the requisite pie-eating, pie-throwing and pizza pie creation.
For more about pi, visit www.piday.org.
Are you hosting a Pi Day special? Let us know at web@wtvr.com
