A SLICE OF HEAVEN ON NATIONAL PI DAY

Pi Day is a glorious holiday because it celebrates the beauty of mathematics with a great excuse to eat one of the best foods ever invented by man: pie!

The mathematical constant, π (pi) is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. This is approximately equal to the irrational number of 3.14159... or 3.14 (for short). And today, March 14th, or 03-14, is the perfect day to enjoy the circumference of a freshly baked, flaky crusted, heavenly filled pie, as well as the its diameter as you cut yourself a nice healthy slice!

The origins of Pi Day are attributed to physicist Larry Shaw, in 1988, when he instigated its large scale celebration at the San Francisco Exploratorium. In 2009, the US House of Representatives officially designated 03-14 as National Pi Day, perhaps their most delicious resolution ever. MIT heats up the spirit of Pi Day by announcing their application decisions on this day at exactly 6:28 pm, which they have called "Tau Time", to honor the rival numbers Pi and Tau equally.

And what better day than Pi Day to be born if you are Albert Einstein (03-14-1879)? Birthday cake won’t do. A birthday pie is in order. His beloved town of Princeton, New Jersey does it right with pie eating and Einstein look-alike contests.

Cherry is one of our favorites, although so hard to have a favorite when all kinds of pies have their allure. My version, in the photo above, oozes with ruby fruit and nags at me to have a slice every time I see it. I think I need to bake another one, if only because.... it’s Pi Day!

Photo: Delft University of Technology, Applied Physics, Seismics, and Acoustics