American International College Students to Celebrate Pi Day

SPRINGFIELD — American International College (AIC) will host a National Pi Day celebration on Thursday, March 14 that promises to be equal parts educational and delicious.

In honor of National Pi Day, students of AIC Associate Professor and Mathematics Department Chair James Sansalone will hand out pie and pencils to peers and the public while putting their mathematical knowledge to the test. Those who visit the college’s Dining Commons from 10:45 a.m. to noon will not only receive complimentary dessert but will also be challenged by the Wheel of Pi. In a competition between students and non-students, participants will spin the wheel and attempt to identify mathematical formulas that use pi, while also learning fun and historical information about one of the most famous and significant geometric constants.

Pi, represented mathematically by the Greek letter π, is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. While it has been calculated to more than one trillion digits past its decimal, pi is most commonly identified numerically as 3.14. As such, Pi Day is celebrated each year on March 14. In 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution supporting National Pi Day, encouraging schools and educators to teach students about pi and engage them about the study of mathematics.