Save money on pizza and pie on National Pi Day

Number nerds don’t need a special day to remember the many ways in which Pi, the celebrated number that starts with 3.14, goes on for a long time and is used in geometry, architecture, construction and other disciplines.

The number is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter and remains constant, meaning that the distance around every single circle is 3.1415926535897932384626433832795 times larger than the distance across it.

The number has been known for thousands of years but only started to be called Pi after the Greek letter, about 300 years ago.

Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point and is an irrational and transcendental number, according to the website Pi Day, and it will continue infinitely without repetition or pattern.

The first official time that Pi day was celebrated large scale on March 14 was at the San Francisco Exploratorium in 1988 where physicist Larry Shaw organized circular marches and pie-eating expeditions.
Although the marches appear to have been all but dropped in more contemporary celebrations, the eating of pies remains very much a part of the observance.

Pi specials 

Here is a list of a few places that have Pi promotions or commemorations going on:

• Have a piece of pie at A la Mode Pies – at two locations in Seattle — and win a chance to take a pie-making class for a group of friends.
• Traveling through Seattle? Have a piece of pie at 6 p.m. at the Hostelling International Seattle at the American Hotel on 520 S. King St.
• Pizza place Big Mario’s on East Pike Street in Capitol Hill and in Queen Anne will be selling slices of any kind of pie for $3.14.
• Get two slices of Pagliacci Pizza pie for $3.14 at all shop locations that serve pizza by the slice.
•  The Fremont-based Pie shop, which features meaty, savory and sweet tarts is offering whole pi-themed pies. It’s also selling mini pies for $3.14.

• Have a slice of pie for $3.14 a slice or watch employees of Capitol Hill businesses participate in a pie eating contest at the Lost Lake Cafe on 10th Avenue. The contest starts at 2 p.m., but an individual slice can be enjoyed any time.

Recipes

• Want to contemplate the wonder and mystery of the number in the privacy? Then here are a few recipes to get you started:
• Super Apple Pie made with a mix of mix of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Braeburn and Golden Delicious apples! Yum!!
• Coconut Cream Pie, Banana Cream Pie and Strawberry Shortcake, which is not a pie, bit is still a delicious dessert.
• How about a Caramel Peach Skillet Pie?
• Or Strawberry Rhubarb? Or a “Bumbleberry Pie” that can make use of whatever berries are in season?
• Tomato and feta pizza
• Pizza with red and green peppers

You can also celebrate by doing some math puzzles or thinking about the significance of  π, among which is this: no matter how big or small the circle is, the ratio of its circumference to its diameter is constant.

Isn’t that slightly appealing in a world of ever changing news?