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 article on everglades alligator importance
