Our Favorite Slices of Pi ... Day

Pi Day is the annual celebration of that infinitely ongoing number that starts with 3.14159. Also a fantastic opportunities for pun jokes of all shapes and sizes. People have competed with one another to memorize the most digits (the record is 70,000!). Scientists and engineers have used it to calculate orbits, link theory and simulation with real world complexity, and model fluid mechanics to design a variety of products in the modern world.   

Given the number of engineering teams, product designers and manufacturers we work with that inherently use Pi, we felt it was worth a Pi Day post to share some of the highlights our team at Anark found the most interesting. Here are the top 4 posts we found this year that inform, inspire, and excite us about this small yet infinitely complex number that continues to help develop great products and technological advancements. Grab a cup of coffee, take a quick break to clear your head before that next breakthrough, and enjoy our favorite slices of Pi ... Day. 

First up, Wired explores whether it is rational (or irrational) to celebrate Pi Day. You bet they made that joke in the article! But it's also an interesting post on number systems. If you love math, this one's for you

 

The New York Times reviews the origin of Pi, and it's profound impact on modern science, engineering and design. It also has one of our favorite simple visuals and thought exercises to understand how Pi was originally derived by Archimedes. 

The annual NASA Pi Day Challenge gives students a chance to use Pi like scientists and engineers.  Calculate orbits, moon surface mappings, asteroid density, and analyze the environment of the world's coral reefs. Seriously, Pi is everywhere!

a number of planets orbit around a central orange star in perfect circles

 

Live Science lists 12 fun facts about Pi. We don't want to spoil the 12 surprising facts, but the most digits of Pi ever calculated is incredible! Especially when you consider how long it takes to scroll through 1 million digits of Pi.  

An illustration of the mathematical symbol pi etched into a piece of pi on a green background

 

About the Author

Patrick Dunfey
Vice President of Marketing and Sales Enablement
Patrick is an accomplished marketing and sales enablement professional who knows that customers are at the heart of every great innovation. He focuses on driving customer satisfaction and business growth through aligned Product-Marketing-Sales programs. He uses digital systems and data-driven approaches to understand, measure and deliver success, resulting in unparalleled customer experiences and value.  Patrick has 20 years of enterprise software expertise, with specialties in CAD, PLM, ERP, AR/VR and IoT. Prior to joining Anark, Patrick developed and taught a business course on XR value strategy, helping companies identify and realize value using virtual, augmented, and mixed reality. During 14 years at PTC, a leading provider of product development software, Patrick led teams responsible for the design, build and launch of an award-winning, state-of-the-art technology experience center resulting in 5X customer meeting growth, and 66% close rates on those meetings; he led the development of a new IoT sales enablement strategy to map business value to enabling technology contributing to 52% YoY IoT revenue growth; and met with over 1000 companies, ranging from SMB to the Fortune 100, to help bridge the gap between technology and customer value. Patrick began his career as a mechanical engineer, working on product design and development projects with Brooks Automation, Arthur D. Little, U.S. Army, Keurig, and others. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University.
Connect with Patrick Dunfey on LinkedIn!