London: Mathematicians around the world celebrates Pi Day on March 14 every year.
Here are some incredible facts about Pi - the enigmatic number that has fascinated mathematicians for generations. Pi represent a constant in mathematics i.e. the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14159.
Since Pi is a constant number, it means that for all circles of any size, Pi will be the same.
Mathematician Steven Strogatz, explains why pi continues to fascinate the world.
"The digits of pi never end and never show a pattern. They go on forever, seemingly at random —except that they can’t possibly be random, because they embody the order inherent in a perfect circle,” the metro.co.uk quoted Strogatz as saying.
"Pi touches infinity in other ways. For example, there are astonishing formulas in which an endless procession of smaller and smaller numbers adds up to pi.
"One of the earliest such infinite series to be discovered says that pi equals four times the sum 1 - 1/3 + 1/5 - 1/7 + 1/9- 1/11 and so on,” Strogatz said.
The number pi is extremely useful when solving geometry problems involving circles.
A sport based on Pi has was invented in South Africa in 2008 – supposedly on Pi Day.
“It’s played on a circular court around a central circular ball strike area. It’s comparable to beach volleyball, but where two players on a team are separated by a net, pi-ball players instead stand diametrically opposite one another within the confines of a circular court,” the Metro report said.
Pi Day is officially recognised in the US.
