Pi Day

Akira Yoshizawa, recipient of a Google Doodle honoring the 101st anniversary of his birth, was no mere paper folder.  He was an origami artist credited with raising the paper-folding technique to a higher plane. And then dousing it with water. Yoshizawa's work seems to have expression -- even emotion .  From a flat piece of paper, he conjured sculpture.  It helped that he had come up with a new technique, arguably his most important contribution to origami --  wet-folding , or "wet origami.

Celebrations will happen around the world Thursday to celebrate Pi Day. No, we're not talking about the beloved dessert. It's a day devoted to the number 3.14..., but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate some pie porn to celebrate.  Maybe this recipe for a classic apple pie will help you appreciate the mathematical constant. Or the recipe for Momofuku's crack pie will breed a deeper understanding of the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. You could also bake a pear and blueberry pie in honor of Albert Einstein's birthday, which also happens to fall on Pi Day. Or maybe this  recipe for curried lamb hand pies will get you in the mood for math.

Celebrations will happen around the world Thursday to celebrate Pi Day. No, we're not talking about the beloved dessert. It's a day devoted to the number 3.14..., but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate some pie porn to celebrate.  Maybe this recipe for a classic apple pie will help you appreciate the mathematical constant. Or the recipe for Momofuku's crack pie will breed a deeper understanding of the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. You could also bake a pear and blueberry pie in honor of Albert Einstein's birthday, which also happens to fall on Pi Day. Or maybe this  recipe for curried lamb hand pies will get you in the mood for math.

For most people, March 14 is just another day. But for math fans and self-proclaimed nerds out there, the day - or, more specifically, the fact that it is 3/14 - is a day to celebrate one of the most important numbers in all of mathematics: pi. So what better way for pi fans to celebrate Pi Day than with … pie? A minute before 2 a.m. on Thursday, students at Caltech in Pasadena dug into 130 pies laid out for them outside student housing. There were 26 each of five different kinds of pie. Follow that?

Apparently, pi is no longer just a handy way of expressing the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It's a lifestyle, and the biggest day of the pi year - March 14, of course - is nearly upon us. Here's how to spend it. Your first option: Buy a T-shirt from these people. Then take it on a road trip to Pie Town , N.M., preferably the Pie-O-Neer Cafe . The restaurant is usually closed on Thursdays, but for 3/14 it's making an exception. (Some people imagine tha Pie Town is in the middle of nowhere.

Happy Pi Day!  March 14 -- a.k.a. 3.14 -- has become a day to appreciate the wonders of pi. This mathematical constant describes the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It's also handy for calculating a circle's area, along with plenty of other uses in the fields of trigonometry, physics, statistics, cosmology and fluid dynamics, to name just a few.   Humans have been contemplating pi for nearly 4,000 years. The ancient Babylonians figured out that pi's value was roughly 3 as far back as 1900 BC. The ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes figured out that pi was slightly bigger than 22/7.

March 14 is National Pi Day, celebrating a mathematical  constant that the nation's pie industry has long co-opted for itself. Too bad, then, that sales are coming off a year that seems less pie-centric than many had predicted. Last year was supposed to be the time when pies overtook cupcakes and macarons as the dessert du jour. But revenue from pies - including gourmet, fruit and meringue varieties and tart and mini versions - was down at supermarkets during the 52-week period ending Sept.

Pi is more than just a number. So it's only appropriate that Pi Day -- today, March 14 -- celebrates more than just 3.14: Pi is like a beguiling lover who can never be truly known. It's a mathematical constant. And yet, it's irrational. Pi transcends reason as it skips off into infinity. The dry explanation for pi is this: a mathematical calculation symbolizing the relationship between a circle's diameter and its circumference. For mere mortals, that ratio can be represented simply as 3.14.

For most people, March 14 is just another day. But for math fans and self-proclaimed nerds out there, the day - or, more specifically, the fact that it is 3/14 - is a day to celebrate one of the most important numbers in all of mathematics: pi. So what better way for pi fans to celebrate Pi Day than with … pie? A minute before 2 a.m. on Thursday, students at Caltech in Pasadena dug into 130 pies laid out for them outside student housing. There were 26 each of five different kinds of pie. Follow that?

Hallmark hasn't caught on to Pi Day yet. There are no sappy sentiments: "Honey, you mean at least 3.14 times more to me than anyone else, ever--" There are no gag insults: "I racked my brains till I thought of the perfect gift for you--Pi! In Your Face!" No, Pi Day is one of the last American observances unsullied by commercialism--and somehow you managed to miss it. It was Tuesday.

Happy Pi Day!  March 14 -- a.k.a. 3.14 -- has become a day to appreciate the wonders of pi. This mathematical constant describes the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It's also handy for calculating a circle's area, along with plenty of other uses in the fields of trigonometry, physics, statistics, cosmology and fluid dynamics, to name just a few.   Humans have been contemplating pi for nearly 4,000 years. The ancient Babylonians figured out that pi's value was roughly 3 as far back as 1900 BC. The ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes figured out that pi was slightly bigger than 22/7.

Apparently, pi is no longer just a handy way of expressing the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It's a lifestyle, and the biggest day of the pi year - March 14, of course - is nearly upon us. Here's how to spend it. Your first option: Buy a T-shirt from these people. Then take it on a road trip to Pie Town , N.M., preferably the Pie-O-Neer Cafe . The restaurant is usually closed on Thursdays, but for 3/14 it's making an exception. (Some people imagine tha Pie Town is in the middle of nowhere.

I recently hired a student to help me get wired into what I'm told is the minimum needed to survive in today's digital world. So now in addition to Facebook, I am able to link in, tweet, Google Plus and other things I can't remember because I haven't used them yet. I'm hardly a technophobe; in fact, I tend toward geek. Where else but Facebook would I have found Ellen Degeneres' delicious take on Bic pens for women? NASA Gangnam Style? Talking cats playing patty cake? During the election, political humor on Facebook kept me sane, and articles shared by smart friends kept me informed.

Dude! Today is a day of special significance and the appointed hour is 4:20 p.m. What it all means is on the tip of the tongue. Literally. Welcome to April 20, a day that has come to mean a celebration of marijuana and a protest against the fact that its use, sale and possession are crimes. From the narrow streets of New York's Greenwich Village to the open expanse of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, users will congregate to do their thing. Perhaps the most notorious gathering will be at the University of Colorado-Boulder, where last year 10,000 people smoked at the same time.

April 1st is one of my favorite days of the year, a day when being a fool is more forgivable, perhaps, than the rest of the year. This day of pranks, like many other social customs, has its roots in other countries. In this quiz, we'll check how this custom might have taken hold, although you have to wonder whether the researchers might be pulling our leg. Good luck and you know what they say about fools rushing in.... 1. What's another name for April Fools' Day? a. All Souls Day b. All Fools Day c. All Fouls Day d. All Soils Day 2. In Rome, an ancient festival that resembles our modern April Fools' Day was called what?

On Wednesday, it was pie by the numbers in Sherman Oaks. Teachers, parents and students at Millikan Middle School went all out to honor one of math's most famous numbers: pi, approximately 3.14. Perfect timing, it being March 14. To properly commemorate the infinite number, which represents the relationship between a circle's diameter and circumference, the school's Millikan Math Academy presented the third annual Pi Day. Of course, there was a pie-eating contest.

On Wednesday, it was pie by the numbers in Sherman Oaks. Teachers, parents and students at Millikan Middle School went all out to honor one of math's most famous numbers: pi, approximately 3.14. Perfect timing, it being March 14. To properly commemorate the infinite number, which represents the relationship between a circle's diameter and circumference, the school's Millikan Math Academy presented the third annual Pi Day. Of course, there was a pie-eating contest.

It's the fault of “God Almighty.” That's the name Emil Tolotti Jr. used in 1992 to challenge U.S. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada in the Democratic primary. He not only lost to “none of these candidates” -- another Nevada ballot option -- but he also inspired a law banning would-be officeholders from using politically charged nicknames. That hasn't stopped candidates from trying to sneak them onto the ballot, however. This year, Secretary of State Ross Miller stripped two candidates of their electoral monikers, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported . Nancy Price, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate, can't appear on the ballot as Nancy “Occupy” Price, a nod to the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Pi is more than just a number. So it's only appropriate that Pi Day -- today, March 14 -- celebrates more than just 3.14: Pi is like a beguiling lover who can never be truly known. It's a mathematical constant. And yet, it's irrational. Pi transcends reason as it skips off into infinity. The dry explanation for pi is this: a mathematical calculation symbolizing the relationship between a circle's diameter and its circumference. For mere mortals, that ratio can be represented simply as 3.14.

Akira Yoshizawa, recipient of a Google Doodle honoring the 101st anniversary of his birth, was no mere paper folder.  He was an origami artist credited with raising the paper-folding technique to a higher plane. And then dousing it with water. Yoshizawa's work seems to have expression -- even emotion .  From a flat piece of paper, he conjured sculpture.  It helped that he had come up with a new technique, arguably his most important contribution to origami --  wet-folding , or "wet origami.