I Celebrate Pi Day
As do many nerds, I celebrate pi day.
However, I always have a problem figuring out what time to eat my piece of pie.
The first eight digits of pi - all that I ever memorized or used on a regulsr basis - are 3.1415926.
Obviously, since we do not have 31 months, the 3 must represent March, the third month. And, the 14 must represent the day in the month. Well, the date was easy enough.
The next five digits are 15926. These must show the time, but what time?
Assuming that one is using a 12 hour clock, you could assume that the 1 represents the hour, the 59 indicates the minutes, and the 26 shows the seconds. However, is the pie to be eaten at 1:59:26 AM or at 1:59:26 PM. There is no way to tell.
With a 24 hour clock, this dilemma resolves itself. The 15 represents the hour, or 3 PM on a 12 hour clock. Since 92 minutes would make no sense, the 9 must show the minutes, while the 26 shows the seconds.
Thus, according to my calculations, and what I have followed for the past 52 years since 10th grade Algebra II, the proper time and date for the cutting and eating of the pie is March 14 at 9 minutes and 26 seconds past 3 PM.
Now, if I could only determine what type of pie to eat. Having grown up in the South in Kentucky, I have always picked Southern Pecan Pie.
This is my favorite pie by far, but I don't know if it is the correct type of pie, given the nature of pi.
Since pi is infinite and non-repeating, and, thus, "transparent" in some sense, another choice might be another Southern pie - Transparent Pie. No, I did not make that up; check it out in a Southern cookbook or online.
If you have any other suggestions as to the type of pie most appropriate for pi day, please pass them on!
Quakertrucker
However, I always have a problem figuring out what time to eat my piece of pie.
The first eight digits of pi - all that I ever memorized or used on a regulsr basis - are 3.1415926.
Obviously, since we do not have 31 months, the 3 must represent March, the third month. And, the 14 must represent the day in the month. Well, the date was easy enough.
The next five digits are 15926. These must show the time, but what time?
Assuming that one is using a 12 hour clock, you could assume that the 1 represents the hour, the 59 indicates the minutes, and the 26 shows the seconds. However, is the pie to be eaten at 1:59:26 AM or at 1:59:26 PM. There is no way to tell.
With a 24 hour clock, this dilemma resolves itself. The 15 represents the hour, or 3 PM on a 12 hour clock. Since 92 minutes would make no sense, the 9 must show the minutes, while the 26 shows the seconds.
Thus, according to my calculations, and what I have followed for the past 52 years since 10th grade Algebra II, the proper time and date for the cutting and eating of the pie is March 14 at 9 minutes and 26 seconds past 3 PM.
Now, if I could only determine what type of pie to eat. Having grown up in the South in Kentucky, I have always picked Southern Pecan Pie.
This is my favorite pie by far, but I don't know if it is the correct type of pie, given the nature of pi.
Since pi is infinite and non-repeating, and, thus, "transparent" in some sense, another choice might be another Southern pie - Transparent Pie. No, I did not make that up; check it out in a Southern cookbook or online.
If you have any other suggestions as to the type of pie most appropriate for pi day, please pass them on!
Quakertrucker
70-79, M
