Today is National Pi Day and also the birthday of famous physicist Albert Einstein.  Why is this national Pi day? Well in the United States today’s date is written as 3.14, which is the number pi! It is just a coincidence (or maybe it isn’t) that Albert Einstein was also born on this day in 1879.

Pi or π (pronounced like the word pie) is a mathematical concept; it is a number that never ends, well at least no one has found the end to it yet. The number is usually abbreviated as 3.14, but it is much longer (infinitely longer).  Here is the number with just 10 of its post decimal digits: 3.14159265359. You can see one million of its post decimal numbers at this website. The number really goes on forever!

So, if you are a mathematician, this is your day, and if you are a world famous physicist named Albert Einstein (someone who definitely used a lot of math) this is also your day!

Albert Einstein was a German immigrant to America. He lived, worked, and died in the United States in 1955. He is famous for developing the theory of relativity, which is a major part of the field of modern physics. You may know him best for his formula

even if you don’t know what this formula actually means.  Did you also know that he won a Nobel Prize in Physics (in 1921)? During his lifetime Einstein was considered one of the smartest men alive, and he is still considered one of the smartest men in modern history.  He was so smart that his name is synonymous with the word “genius.”

Even if you are not a mathematician, physicist, or science lover, today is a great day to reflect on how much science and math contribute to our lives. This is especially true with all the modern technology we use that is influenced by math, science and physics.