2021 Virtual Pi Day Celebration Hosted by MoMath

Participants Worldwide Expected to Celebrate “Pi Day,” Math’s Biggest Holiday of the Year, With Pi-Themed Activities Hosted Online by the National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath), North America’s Only Math Museum

MoMath’s “Pi Day” will culminate with an evening “Pi by Night” celebration hosted by the Museum’s third Distinguished Visiting Professor, Alex Kontorovich

Sunday, March 14, 2021

“Pi Day” celebration: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. & 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET

“Pi by Night” celebration: 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. ET

WHO: Cindy Lawrence, CEO and Executive Director of MoMath

Alex Kontorovich, MoMath’s third Distinguished Visiting Professor for the Public Dissemination of Mathematics and Rutgers Math Professor

Participants from around the world joining the global celebration of “Pi Day”

WHEN: Sunday, March 14

Pi Day celebration:

11 a.m. – 12 p.m. & 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET

Pi by Night celebration:

7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. ET

WHERE: Online

These are virtual, live-streamed events, so please plan to attend at the specified session times. Some videos may be made available for a fee afterwards, but it will be better to show up live rather than look for recordings later.

COST: $15 per session (morning, afternoon or evening) or $35 for the complete event

(Reduced rates are available for a limited time, so register early if you plan to attend)

WHAT: Join the worldwide celebration of “Pi Day,” math’s biggest holiday of the year, hosted online by the National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath), North America’s only math Museum. MoMath’s “Pi Day” event will feature pi-themed activities on Sunday, March 14 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET, and culminating with an evening “Pi by Night” celebration from 7 p.m. to  8:30 p.m ET.

MoMath’s “Pi Day” and “Pi by Night” festivities will include the following:

1. “Roping Around the World” (11 a.m. ET): 

Test your intuition with a mathematical problem about a rope tied around the Earth. Explore the counterintuitive solution with an engaging, hands-on activity.

2. “Why don’t we celebrate Phi Day” (11:30 a.m. ET)

Phi, also known as the Golden Ratio, is one of the most unique irrational numbers in all of mathematics. Learn about this fascinating number that shows up in all sorts of unexpected places, including a number of MoMath exhibits. Then, discover why the number pi, in contrast, is more deserving of its own holiday and how pi transcends the basic rules of arithmetic.

3. “Probably Pi?” (2 p.m. ET)

While it is impossible to write pi in its entirety, various methods exist to generate better approximations. In this crowd-sourced experiment, we see how the law of large numbers lets us confidently approach pi by using probability. By randomly dropping a needle onto a set of lines, we can converge on pi experimentally, without the need for direct measurement. Help us generate data to see how many digits of pi we can get — the more, the mathier!

4. “What is the value of Pi?” (2:30 p.m. ET)

Throughout history, people have tried to compute the exact value of pi. Ancient Babylonians believed that pi = 25/8, Egyptians thought that pi = (16/9)^2 = 256/81, while the Indiana state legislature almost passed a bill in 1897 stating that pi = 3.2. We know that pi cannot be computed exactly because it is an irrational number and an infinite decimal. Join us as we use geometric constructions to find rational approximations.

5. Pi by Night: Join Alex Kontorovich for an evening exploration — and bring your own (pizza) pi! (7 p.m. ET)

Join MoMath’s Distinguished Visiting Professor, Alex Kontorovich, for an exploration of pi. What does pi have to do with circles? How can we be sure that pi is bigger than three…or smaller than four? How can the power of pi surprise us when we look at everyday household items? And how can we use everyone’s favorite food to learn more about this amazing number? Join us to find out…and bring your own pizza pi!

The National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) is the only math museum in North America. Since opening in December 2012, MoMath has welcomed over 1.1 million visitors, including over 250,000 students and 8,400 school groups.

Learn more and register for the virtual Pi Day event online here!

Looking for more Pi Day FUN? See this page full of ideas, songs & games to help you celebrate.