Get ready to celebrate National pi day with the most interesting Pi facts for kids. Sure to baffle kids and adults, these facts about Pi are truly intriguing and fascinating.
National Pi Day is an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi). Celebrated on March 14th, it’s often marked by activities like math challenges, and pie-eating events in schools and universities.
Facts About Pi
1. Pi Day was first celebrated on 14th March 1988.
The first celebration was first organised by mathematician & physicist Larry Shaw at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
2. March 14th was chosen as Pi day as it represents the number 3.14, which is the value of Pi.
3. Pi day coincides with Albert Einstein’s Birthday.
March 14th is also the birthday of famous physicist Albert Einstein, adding another layer of significance to Pi Day. Einstein was born in 1879, and made significant contributions to maths and physics.
4. The first calculation of π was done by Archimedes of Syracuse in 287–212 BC.
The Greek mathematician Archimedes calculated the approximate area of a circle by drawing a regular polygon within and around a circle. And thus, discovered that the number pi lies between 223/71 and 22/7.
5. Pi is an irrational number.
There are infinite numbers of Pi that follow a non-repeating pattern, making it an irrational number. Swiss-German mathematician and astronomer Johann Lambert proved that pi is irrational.
6. Irrational number Pi has been computed to 105 trillions digits
As of 2024, a U.S. computer storage company – Solidigm holds the record for calculating most digits of Pi. It took 75 days and up to 1 million gigabytes of data to compute that value.
Quick Tip: Share silly laughs with Pi Jokes!
7. The Guinness World Record for most decimals of Pi memorised stands at 70,000 digits!
Rajveer Meena on 21 March 2015, blindfolded recited 70,000 digits of Pi in a 10 hour long recital at VIT University, Vellore, India.
8. National Pi Day came into existence in 2009.
The U.S. House of Representatives in 2009 passed a resolution officially, declaring March 14th as the National Pi Day to promote math and science education.
9. Pi is more than 4000 years old!
Ancient Egyptians & Babylonians knew the constant long before! It’s believed that the Pyramids of Giza were built using Pi, as the ratio of the vertical height of the pyramids to the perimeter of their base follows the sequence of number Pi.
10. The symbol of Pi was introduced in 1706.
William Jones, a Welsh mathematician, is accredited with the introduction of the symbol π. The symbol comes from Greek language
11. NASA uses only 16 Pi digits.
That is 3.141592653589793! This value of Pi is good enough for the solar system and its cosmic neighbourhood calculations, according to the space agency.
12. NASA is a Pie Day fan!
NASA celebrates Pi Day by hosting events and Pi day Challenge for students.
Related: Indulge in 19 Fun Pi Day Activities for Kids with Free Printable.
13. Pi is also known as the Archimedes’ constant, Ludolph number and Circular constant.
Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Represented by the Greek letter π, this ratio always comes out to be 3.141 regardless of the size of the circle.
14. March 14, 2015 was the Pi Day of the Century!
As the date (3/14/15) represented the first five digits of pi (3.1415), it was special indeed! Some people took it even further by celebrating it at 9:26:53 AM to represent the first 10 digits of pi (3.141592653).
15. Pi Day at 1:59 PM is a thing!
Many people celebrate pi day at 1:59 PM to reveal the first six digits of Pi (3.14159) and to make the celebrations all the more exciting!
16. There is a Pi Approximation Day as well!
It is rightfully celebrated on July 22nd, to mark the common fraction 22/7 used to approximate pi.
17. Pi is a stress test for a computer.
Believe it not, calculating Pi is used to test the activity in a computer processor.
18. Larry Shaw is fondly known as the Prince of Pi.
19. Eating Pi of pie day is a tradition.
Many people celebrate pi day by indulging in pies, pizzas of their choice!
20. Renowned British astrophysicist, Stephen Hawking, passed away on Pi day.
Pi Facts