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Showing posts with label Pi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pi. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

I am Pi

3/14 -
Pi -  is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter and it remains the same for any size. (Planet Jupiter size circle or penny sized circle). Pi is special.

A Poem on Pi



written by my daughter who is a 7th grader 

I AM Pi

3.1415926535……
For years I have been lurking, elusive
Pursued by the brightest of minds, mathematicians
In the ancient times I have been studied relentlessly
By the Egyptians, Chinese, Indians by candlelight
Never ceased to be truly lost until one day
Archimedes thought of how to say
Numerically the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter
...89793238462…
Fast forward to the modern times
Believed to have been mastered by computers
Better yet, the human brain
Calculated to digits you cannot perceive
That’s the beauty of me
Left alone, I serve you well
Needed for all the calculations, the area, the circumference
Students toil over me
Trying to grasp my vastness, my complexity
I will never be contained… I am irrational
One of a kind, a juggernaut
You can’t stop me… Literally
...64338327950...
So what am I?
Sure, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter
But also a symbol, iconic to the essence of math
Used in trigonometry, geometry
Not just math, but also science
Prominent in astrophysics, thermodynamics, mechanics
I’ve been thought of 22/7
But that’s inaccurate, heed my warning
Don’t try to rationalize me
I am used to make sense of circles, spheres, ellipses
You think I was formulated just for mathematics?
If you didn’t know, for centuries, I’ve been a Greek letter
Surprised? Think of where I’ve come from
...28841971693…
Well, I’m so special
I’ve got my own holiday, March 14
You think other math terms have celebrations?
Didn’t think so
Students bake pies, decorate them with me
Frantically try to memorize my digits
It’s a day to commemorate
The abundance and benefits of math
But also to remember the struggles, the history
I was rooted in deep
Until you got me
Make the best of it, I will always change
From the ancient times to the contemporary
I am a juggernaut, irrational
Don’t try to approximate me...

Her poem about Bird's spot while on 4th grade.