Pi Day is Upon Us...

Vi Hart: Pi Is (still) Wrong.



Vi argues against Pi, and for Tau. Even if you disagree with her, I think you will enjoy the pies! And if you're not familiar with the controversy between Pi and Tau, I suggest you read http://tauday.com/

Especially take a look at these images

pi and unit circle

tau and unit circle

(images by Michael Hartl from Tauday.com)

Personally, I am not taking sides! At least not for now!

Comments

Fawn Nguyen said…
Tau shall eat Pi. :)
10:15 PM, March 13, 2012
Stephen said…
Since tau = 2 * pi, one gets to eat two pies on Tau Day.

On the other hand, pi day, March 14, is also Einstein's Birthday, so you can have your cake and eat pie too.

If you missed Pi Day, you can still celebrate Pi Day on March 24th. That's Pi in hexadecimal.
12:48 PM, March 20, 2012
Robb said…
Admiring the time and effort you put into your blog and detailed information you offer! I will bookmark your blog and have my children check up here often.
10:24 PM, April 11, 2012
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Conversion chart for measuring units

Image
I was just sent a link to this site; all it is, is a handy one-page printable conversion chart for various US measures, metric measures, and US vs. metric measures. Includes even a comparative Fahrenheit vs. Celsius thermometer. http://metricconversioncharts.org/
Read more

Meaning of factors in multiplication: four groups of 2, or 4 taken two times?

Someone asked me about the interpretation or meaning of the two numbers in multiplication, such as 4 × 2. Do you view it as four groups of 2 , or as four, taken two times ? Here's their question: "...I noticed that your explanation about how to interpret a math phrase, such as 4 × 2, is different from how I have understood it and taught it to my older daughter who was using RightStart Math at this level. Let me explain:  I see that you are using the first factor to denote number of groups and the second factor tells how many are in each group (4 × 2 would be interpreted 4 groups of 2).  On the other hand, I have taught and thought of it reversed, with the first factor telling how many are in each group and the second factor telling you how many groups (4 × 2 would be 4 taken 2 times).  I know that the difference in explanations does not ultimately change the product, but I am wondering what you thoughts are.  When I conceptually picture what I'm doing I see it as 4
Read more

Geometric art project: seven-circle flower design

Image
I got inspired by the blogpost Art School | Geometric Design with Islamic Art where Deborah shows how to make a neat flower design with seven circles , using a compass, and then coloring it using 2, 3, or 4 colors (or however many of your own). I think it ties in neatly with mathematics, and lets students practice drawing circles with a compass.  My girls loved the art/math project. Here are pictures they made: Here are step-by-step instructions for the flower design: 1.  Draw a line and a circle so that the circle's center point is on the line. Then mark the points where this circle intersects the line. 2. Use those points as center points, and draw two more circles. The radius is the same all the time, so make sure you don't change it on your compass!We used 5 cm as the radius, and that made the whole design fit neatly on a regular letter size paper. 3. Now note the two points marked in the picture. They will be used as center points in the next
Read more