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.

Her article  on everglades alligator importance