Best Ways To Celebrate 'Pi Day' In Minnesota
As every Minnesota high school student knows, pi is the number used to calculate the perimeter of a circle given the diameter. It just so happens that 3.14 is the approximate number. Physicist Larry Shaw made the connection of this number with the calendar date on March 14, 1988. He then celebrated this auspicious day by marching around a circular space eating fruit pies along with others at the San Francisco Exploratorium. Later on, pizza was added to the celebration. The significance of this date has caught on throughout the nation and world. Anyone can celebrate the day in any way. Here are several examples of the more creative ways to celebrate Pi Day in Minnesota.
Celebrate Birthdays
Coincidentally, Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879. Mathematician Waclaw Sierpinski was also born on March 14, 1882. The birthday of any person born on March 14 will likely be remembered more easily because of the mathematical significance of this day. Birthday celebrations could include eating pie or simply eating round foods like a birthday cake.
Eat Pie
There are several good places to get a pie in Minnesota. Here are a few of the most prominent. Betty's Pie Shop in Two Harbors has "World Famous Pies" you can order. Get free shipping in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Wuollet Bakeryhas six locations throughout the Twin Cities. Orders made before 3 p.m. are ready the next day.
Eat Pi Foods
Make it a Minnesota meal with walleyed pike, Gedney pickles and finish it off with a TCBY Pina Chillada for dessert. Other options are pizza, pineapple or pine nuts with a Mr. Pibb, pineapple juice or pina coladas. Any foods that begin with pi will do.
Eat Round Foods
Decorate cookies or pancakes with the pi symbol. Bake a pie and cut out a pi symbol in the top crust. If you want to extend this celebration to its fullest, June 28 is 2Pi. Help yourself to two pieces of pie on that day.
Listen to Pi Music
Musician Michael John Blake actually composed and recorded a musical interpretation of Pi on YouTube. By assigning a note to each digit in the mathematical sequence of Pi, Blake was able to create a somewhat melodic sound. He even plays it at 157 beats per minute.
Related: Best Places For Guitar Lessons
Go Geocaching
Minnesota Geocaching Association
www.mngca.org
The Minnesota Geocaching Association will be geocaching over pi on Friday, March 15, 2013. It is the organization's fifth annual Pi Day social event.
Watch Life of Pi
In the "Life of Pi," Pi, the son of a zookeeper, "survives a shipwreck by stowing away on a lifeboat with a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and a Bengal tiger." The movie is now available for rental or download on Amazon, Best Buy, Blockbuster, Google Play, iTunes, Netflix, Red Box, Walmart and other venues.
Robin Johnson was born in Annandale, Minn. and graduated from the University of Minnesota where he studied Political Science, Business and Industrial Relations. A writer for Examiner.com, he also consults with a variety of organizations and individuals helping them develop and grow. His work can be found at Examiner.com.
