Pi Day is celebrated on 3/14 because those are the first three numbers of the infinite string of numbers that make up Pi, 3.14. The Greek letter Pi is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The number Pi is extremely useful to engineers and scientists when solving problems involving circles. References to the calculation for Pi are found as far back as the Old Testament of the Bible (1 Kings 7:23) where a circular pool is referred to as being 30 cubits around and 10 cubits across. The greatest mathematician of antiquity, Archimedes, used polygons with many sides to approximate circles and determined, accurately, that Pi was approximately 22/7. The symbol for Pi was first used in 1706 by math teacher, William Jones, and was popularized by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in 1737.
Why should you care about Pi Day? In 2009 the U.S. Congress felt it was important enough to create House Resolution 224 supporting the designation of Pi Day as March 14. As it states in the resolution, “…since 1995 the United States has shown only minimal improvement in math and science test scores” and “America needs to reinforce mathematics and science education for all students in order to better prepare our children for the future and in order to compete in a 21st Century economy.” It is a way to make math and science a fun and interesting part of a child and an adult’s life. As recruiters in data science and analytics we actively support and encourage more students to focus on STEM careers.
Raspberrypi.org is a charitable foundation started in 2009 in Britain. It looks to bridge the gap between the technology haves and have-nots by providing an economically friendly way to learn beginning programming languages. In 2012, the Foundation launched Raspberry Pi, a single-board computer designed to teach programming skills, build hardware projects, do home automation, and explore industrial applications of computer technology. An economical computer – $55.00 or less – it runs Linux (a computer operating system) and provides general-purpose input and output (GPIO) pins that allow the user to control electronic components for physical computing and exploring the Internet of Things (IoT).
Executive Recruiters, Smith Hanley Associates, have been recruiting and placing statisticians and data scientists for over 35 years. Data Scientists are highly sought after in our current, data-rich economy. If you enjoy and value Pi Day and are interested in a statistical career or hiring analytical experts, contact Jacque Paige at jpaige@smithhanley.com.
