VIU Students and Faculty Celebrate International Pi Day March 14

It was a fun but messy Friday afternoon for members of Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) student math club and their professors during an International Pi Day celebration.

March 14 is Pi Day because the date (3/14) is the first three digits of Pi, explains professor Dave Bigelow. Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi is an irrational number, meaning it doesn’t repeat digits – it goes on forever.

The Pi day celebration, an annual event at VIU, includes a contest to see which student can memorize the most numbers of Pi. Education student Jaimie Dunbar was this year’s clear winner reciting 100 digits.

First-year math student Andres Cristancho placed second after reciting 31 numbers, while second year student Eric Friesen won third place with 27 numbers recited.

Students picked their favourite professors to pie in the face with whipped cream pies. This year’s good sports included math professors Dave Bigelow, Phil Dauk and Dean Slonowsky.

The celebration included free pizza and homemade pies for eating after the official pie toss.

VIU Education student Jaimie Dunbar (left) gears up to throw a whipped cream pie into the face of math professor Phil Dauk during the International Pi Day celebration at VIU on March 14.