International Day of Mathematics (IDM) is celebrated every year on March 14, learn about its history, meaning, themes, events and more here!
International Mathematics Day 2023: History, Meaning, Themes, Events and more
International Day of Mathematics (IDM) is celebrated every year on March 14 and is also known as Pi Day, where countries across the globe participate in this celebration of numbers and equations.
Engagement activities are conducted for students and the public in schools, museums, libraries and other spaces.
This day provides a perfect platform to spread awareness and explain the essential role of mathematics in scientific and technological breakthroughs.
The day highlights the importance of mathematics in improving the quality of life, empowering women and girls, and contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda (Goals). Sustainable Development-17) of the United Nations.
Key highlights:
- The theme for 2023 is ‘Mathematics for Everyone’.
- This day is specially celebrated on March 14 every year in recognition of the mathematical constant Pi, which determines the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. The value of Pi is 3.14.
|
Do you know? For those following the month/day format, March 14 represents the value of Pi (3.14). March is the third month of the year, the next number is 14, so there is March 14. |
GK Quiz on History of Mathematics
International Mathematics Day 2023: Theme
Suggested by Marco Zarco Rotairo from the Philippines, the theme for Pi Day 2023 is “Math for Everyone”.
International Mathematics Day 2023: History
- In 1988, physicist Larry Shaw recognized the day when he organized a large-scale celebration at the San Francisco Exploratorium in the United States.
- He first celebrated it by cutting a cake shaped like the number Pi, then reciting the value of pi to as many decimal places as possible.
- Facts about Pi Day: The mathematician Archimedes of Syracuse first calculated the value of Pi.
- It was later accepted by the scientific community when Leonhard Euler used the symbol Pi in 1737.
- In 2019, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at the 40th General Assembly decided to make Pi Day the International Mathematics Day.
International Mathematics Day 2023: Meaning
- This day is celebrated to recognize and appreciate the importance of mathematics in our daily lives.
- Pi is a fundamental constant that is important in performing calculations and mathematics that has been researched and used by scientists.
- It also coincides with the anniversary of the birth of scientist Albert Einstein. Famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking died on this day in 2018.
International Day of Mathematics timeline
|
TIME |
EVENT |
|
2018 |
The Executive Council of UNESCO adopted the International Day of Mathematics at its 205th session. |
|
2019 |
The 40th General Conference of UNESCO decided Pi Day as the International Day of Mathematics. |
|
2020 |
IDM’s opening celebration took place on March 14, 2020. |
|
2021 |
The first virtual International Day of Mathematics was celebrated with the theme ‘Mathematics for a Better World’. |
The truth about Pi
- Pi is an irrational and transcendent number, meaning its decimal representation never ends and never repeats.
- Since its exact value cannot be known, we can never find the exact area or circumference of a circle.
- Egyptians believe that the Giza pyramids were built based on the principle of pi.
- The ratio between the height of pyramids and the circumference of their base is like the ratio between the radius and circumference of a circle.
Why is International Mathematics Day important in this day and age?
Mathematics not only helps us understand the world but it is also the art of solving problems around us. The practical applications of mathematics can be endless.
Learning becomes much more interesting and challenging. As people today, staying away from math, this day helps us reaffirm the importance of math in education.
Also read|Pi Day 2023: Know about Inventions, History and Interesting Facts, here
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: pagasa.edu.vn