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Pi Day
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== Observance == [[Image:Happy Pi Day sign for sales on pies at Delicious Orchards.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Pi Day related offering at [[Delicious Orchards]], a country food market in [[Colts Neck Township, New Jersey|Colts Neck, New Jersey]]]] Pi Day has been observed in many ways, including eating [[pie]], [[pieing|throwing pies]] and discussing the significance of the number {{pi}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/pi-day-celebration-math-infinite-number-f426c8659529cb07655b5f07b99ce1dd|title=What's Pi Day all about? Math, science, pies and more|first=Curt|last=Anderson|work=[[Associated Press]]|date=March 14, 2024|access-date=March 14, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314074455/https://apnews.com/article/pi-day-celebration-math-infinite-number-f426c8659529cb07655b5f07b99ce1dd|archive-date=March 14, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> The first two are due to a [[pun]] based on the words "pi" and "pie" being [[homophone]]s in English ({{IPAc-en|pron|p|aɪ}}), and the coincidental circular shape of many pies.<ref name="landau" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=K.N. |title=Wednesday's Google Doodle Celebrates Pi Day |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kionasmith/2018/03/14/wednesdays-google-doodle-celebrates-pi-day/ |website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref> Many [[pizza]] and pie restaurants offer discounts, deals, and free products on Pi Day.<ref name="nbcdfw">{{Cite news |last=<!--Not stated--> |date=March 13, 2021 |title=Celebrate Pi Day With These Deals Around North Texas |work=NBC DFW |url=https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/celebrate-pi-day-with-these-deals-around-north-texas/2578077/ |access-date=May 14, 2022}}</ref> Also, some schools hold competitions as to which student can [[Piphilology|recall pi to the highest number of decimal places]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Honiton Community College Pi Day – Jazmin Year 9 |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfM1i9_Un_Y) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017125801/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfM1i9_Un_Y |archive-date=October 17, 2013 |access-date=July 22, 2013 |publisher=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=HCC Celebrate International Pi Day |url=http://www.honitoncollege.devon.sch.uk/index.php/about-honiton-community-college/10-honiton-community-college-news/146-hcc-international-pi-day-champions |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222033538/http://www.honitoncollege.devon.sch.uk/index.php/about-honiton-community-college/10-honiton-community-college-news/146-hcc-international-pi-day-champions |archive-date=February 22, 2014 |access-date=July 22, 2013 |publisher=Honitoncollege.devon.sch.uk}}</ref> The [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] has often mailed its [[College admissions in the United States#Application process|application decision letters]] to prospective students for delivery on Pi Day.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McClan |first=Erin |date=March 14, 2007 |title=Pi fans meet March 14 (3.14, get it?) |publisher=[[NBC News]] |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17605924 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927144029/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17605924/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 27, 2013 |access-date=January 24, 2008}}</ref> Starting in 2012, MIT has announced it will post those decisions (privately) online on Pi Day at exactly 6:28 pm, which they have called "Tau Time", to honor the rival numbers {{pi}} and {{tau}} equally.<ref>{{Cite web |title=I have SMASHING news! |date=March 7, 2012 |url=http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/i-have-smashing-news |access-date=March 12, 2012 |publisher=MIT Admissions}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=McGann |first=Matt |title=Pi Day, Tau Time |date=March 13, 2012 |url=http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/pi-day-tau-time |access-date=March 18, 2012 |publisher=MIT Admissions}}</ref> In 2015, the regular decisions were put online at 9:26 am, following that year's "pi minute",<ref>{{Cite web |title=Keep your eyes to the skies this Pi Day |date=March 6, 2015 |url=http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/keep-your-eyes-to-the-skies |access-date=March 14, 2018 |publisher=MIT Admissions |language=en}}</ref> and in 2020, regular decisions were released at 1:59 pm, making the first six digits of pi.<ref>{{Cite web |title=[Pinned] This is the way...to check your decisions |url=https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/this-is-the-way-to-check-your-decisions/ |access-date=March 14, 2020 |website=MIT Admissions |date=March 10, 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Princeton, New Jersey]], hosts numerous events in a combined celebration of Pi Day and [[Albert Einstein]]'s birthday, which is also March 14.<ref name="princeton">{{Cite web |title=Princeton Pi Day & Einstein Birthday Party |url=https://www.visitprinceton.org/events/annual-events/pi-day/ |access-date=February 9, 2019 |website=Princeton Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau}}</ref> Einstein lived in Princeton for more than twenty years while working at the [[Institute for Advanced Study]]. In addition to pie eating and recitation contests, there is an annual Einstein look-alike contest.<ref name="princeton" /> In 2024, the [[recreational mathematics|recreational mathematician]] [[Matt Parker]] and a team of hundreds of volunteers at [[City of London School]] spent six days calculating 139 correct digits of pi by hand, in what Parker claimed was "the biggest hand calculation in a century".<ref name="Piday2024">{{cite AV media |people=Matt Parker |date=13 March 2024 |title=The biggest hand calculation in a century! [Pi Day 2024] |type=video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIg-6glbLkU |access-date=1 July 2024 |via=YouTube |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|url=https://tomrocksmaths.com/2024/04/04/carnival-of-mathematics-226/|title=Carnival of Mathematics 226|first=Tom|last=Crawford|publisher=The Aperiodical|date=4 April 2024|access-date=30 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240830074418/https://tomrocksmaths.com/2024/04/04/carnival-of-mathematics-226/|archive-date=30 August 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> On 15 August 2024, the [[main-belt asteroid]] [[List of minor planets: 314001–315000#159|314159 Mattparker]]{{Efn|314159 are the first six digits of [[Pi]].}} was named in his honor. The citation highlights Parker's biennial "Pi Day challenges", stating that they have helped to popularize mathematics.<ref name="asteroid">{{cite journal |url=https://www.wgsbn-iau.org/files/Bulletins/V004/WGSBNBull_V004_011.pdf#page=20 |author=[[International Astronomical Union]] |title=New Names of Minor Planets |journal=WGSBN Bulletin |volume=4 |number=11 |date=15 August 2024 |access-date=15 August 2024 |quote=Matthew Thomas Parker (b. 1980) is an Australian recreational mathematician, author, and science communicator based in the United Kingdom. His “Stand-up Maths” YouTube channel has gained more than one million subscribers. Parker's Pi Day (March 14) challenges, where he calculates (by hand) π with the help of volunteers, have popularized mathematics.}}</ref><ref name="Piday2011">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2011/mar/14/pi-day |title=Pi Day: Help yourself to a slice of infinite, transcendental pi |first=Matt |last=Parker |date=14 March 2011 |access-date=15 August 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019161621/https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2011/mar/14/pi-day |archive-date=19 October 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
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