International Day of Mathematics (IDM) is commemorated annually on March 14 and is also known as Pi Day where countries across the globe participate in this celebration of numbers and equations.
Engaging activities are conducted for students and the general public in schools, museums, libraries, and other spaces.
The day provides a perfect platform to spread awareness and explain mathematics' essential role in the breakthroughs in science and technology.
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 (Sustainable Development Goals-17) of the United Nations.
Key Highlights:
- The Theme for 2023 is ‘Mathematics for Everyone’.
- The day is specifically celebrated on March 14 every year to recognize the mathematical constant, Pi, which defines the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. The value for Pi is 3.14.
| Did you know? For people who follow the month/date format, March 14 represents the value of Pi (3.14). March is the third month of the year while the following number is 14, hence the March 14 date.
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GK Quiz on the History of Mathematics
International Day of Mathematics 2023:Theme
Proposed by Marco Zarco Rotairo from the Philippines' the theme for Pi Day 2023 is "Mathematics for Everyone".
International Day of Mathematics 2023:History
- In 1988 physicist Larry Shaw recognized this day as he organized a large-scale celebration at the San Francisco Exploratorium in the United States.
- He first celebrated it by cutting a Pi-shaped pie, and then recitation the value of pi to as many decimal places as possible.
- Pi Day Fact: Mathematician Archimedes of Syracuse first calculated the value of Pi.
- It was later accepted by the scientific community when Leonhard Euler used the symbol of Pi in 1737.
- In 2019, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in its 40th General Conference decided to observe Pi Day as International Mathematics Day.
International Day of Mathematics 2023: Significance
- The day is celebrated to recognize and appreciate the importance of mathematics in our daily lives.
- Pi is a fundamental constant that has been significant in performing calculations and Mathematics has been studied and used by scientists.
- It also coincides with the birth anniversary of scientist Albert Einstein. Widely renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking died on this day in 2018.
International Day Of Mathematics Timeline
| TIME | EVENT |
| 2018 | The Executive Council of UNESCO adopts the International Day of Mathematics at its 205th session. |
| 2019 | UNESCO’s 40th General Conference decided Pi Day as the International Day of Mathematics. |
| 2020 | The inaugural celebration of the I.D.M. took place on March 14, 2020. |
| 2021 | The first virtual International Day of Mathematics was celebrated with the theme ‘Mathematics for a Better World.’ |
Facts about Pi
- Pi is an irrational and transcendental number, which means that 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.
- People in Egypt believed that the pyramids of Giza were built on the principles of pi.
- The ratio between the height of the pyramids and the perimeter of their base is the same as that between a circle's radius and circumference.
Why Is International Day Of Mathematics Important In Today’s Time?
Math not only helps us understand the world but it is also the art of solving problems around us. The real-life applications of mathematics can be endless.
Learning is much more interesting and challenging. As the population, today is shying away from math this day helps us restate the importance of mathematics in education.
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