On the third month and 14th day every year, the date 3/14 represents an important number to math enthusiasts across the world.
3.14159… and so on is a familiar number to many, even if it does bring up memories of math classes past.
The day — called Pi Day — but also doubling as Albert Einstein’s birthday, falls on a Thursday this year and students around the world were celebrating, including those at George Street Middle School in Fredericton.
Some students even took on the challenge of seeing how many digits after the decimal point that they could name.
Grade 7 student Julian Clarence de Guzman came out victorious, perfectly reciting 500 digits.
The number pi, or π, is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. It’s an irrational number, which means it’s a decimal with no end and no repeating pattern.
De Guzman said he used a specific technique called “double chunking” to memorize the 500 digits. He broke the number up into 50-digit chunks, then broke those chunks into more-digestible 10-digit chunks.
After memorizing the first 50, he said he would need to get that right three times before moving onto the next chunk of 50.
De Guzman said he loves math, but it also felt great to take home the win.
“It felt amazing. People were cheering for me as I left the door.”
In second place, Fahizah Oyetola recited around 105 digits, but she only started practising two nights ago. The first night, she tackled the first 50 digits, then went for the other half the next day.
Math isn’t even Oyetola’s favourite subject, but she loves the practice of memorizing, and entering the contest was a fun challenge.
She also broke the number up into chunks and additionally used The Pi Song, which goes through the first 100 digits, to help with her recitation.
At George Street Middle School, the day was also marked with a circle-drawing contest where students could use their own body parts to form the radius, a parade where 700 students with numbers on their shirts marched in sequential order out of the school, and of course, homemade pie.
Vice-principal of George Street Middle School Jacob Lingley said he’s all too familiar with the anxiety that math can often induce for many students and adults.
So he thinks Pi Day is an opportunity to bring a new perspective to the discipline.
“We can celebrate the things that we groan about,” he said. “And maybe if we celebrate math and … persuade 700 of our students to grow their appreciation for this subject area that may need a little bit more appreciation, it is a good thing.”
Lingley said the point of having so many different activities for students to take part in on Pi Day is so there’s something for everyone.
“Perhaps our memories of math class aren’t always the most inclusive, but today, we are going for inclusivity.”
With files from Information Morning Fredericton
This story was originally published in CBC News on March 14, 2024.
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