Blog by: North Carolina Egg Association
The Greek letter (∏), Pi, represents the ratio of the circumference (distance around the circle) of a circle to its diameter (width). The mathematical constant, (∏), is 3.14159265… and so on, but is most commonly represented by the approximation 3.14. Thus, “Pi Day” is celebrated every year on March 14th (3/14). This day is also, coincidentally, the German-born theoretical physicists, Albert Einstein’s, birthday.
March 14th marks a day to celebrate the mathematical mystery of Pi. To date, Pi has been calculated to 10 trillion digits past the decimal, all of which are random, non-repeating patterns of numbers! In 2009, congress marked March 14th as a holiday to encourage the math and science education.
As a way to encourage math and science education many teachers began the tradition of using a PIE to explain Pi to their students. A math education idea at its finest! Being that it is a circle, a pie provided a great way to show the mystery of pie: no matter how big or small the circle, the ratio is always 3.14159265…
Some choose to celebrate the holiday with a pie eating contest – most pies of course have eggs in the recipe which provide nutritional value. The first World Pie Eating Championship was held in 1992 and won by Dave Smyth, who ate 4 pies in 3 minutes! The 2012 winner, Paul Gott, won the competition and set a new World Record by eating a single pie in 12.91 seconds.
We’re not sure if the tradition came out of celebration for Albert Einstein, or if it is just a humorous pun, but we sure do love celebrating Pi day by baking, throwing, and eating a lot of pies! So, why not bake a pie today?! Here are a few of our favorite pie recipes that we’d like to share with you from the North Carolina Egg Association.
Apple Custard Pie>> http://www.incredibleegg.org/recipes/recipe/apple-custard-pie?from=/recipes/collection/baking/pie
French Silk Pie>> http://www.incredibleegg.org/recipes/recipe/french-silk-pie?from=/recipes/collection/baking/pies
Pecan Pie>> http://www.incredibleegg.org/recipes/recipe/pecan-pie?from=/recipes/collection/baking/pies
