WebQuest Math Goodies Celebrate Pi Day

Pi Day Celebration

Introduction:

Pi Day is a holiday that celebrates the constant Pi (pronounced Pi). The Greek letter Pi is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi equals 3.1415926535... Thus, Pi Day is observed on March 14, since the digits in this date correspond with the first three digits of Pi. You have been selected to learn about the meaning, calculations, and history of Pi. You will also celebrate Pi Day with various online activities.


The Task:

To prepare for these explorations, you will need to browse some lessons on circumference and area of circles, completing the interactive exercises at the end of each. You will then learn about the meaning and history of Pi by visiting selected websites. Lastly, you will celebrate Pi Day by engaging in activities found on these websites. These tasks will require a computer, access to the web, and paper and pencil.


The Process:

Process Part I: Learning About Pi

  1. Browse our lesson on Circumference of a Circle.
  2. Complete the 5 interactive exercises at the end of this lesson.
  3. Browse our lesson on Area of a Circle.
  4. Complete the 5 interactive exercises at the end of this lesson.
  5. Try our interactive and printable crossword puzzles on circles.

Process Part II: Learning About the History of Pi

  1. Answer the following questions by visiting Pi Day, the official web site for Pi Day.
  1. Answer the following questions by visiting The Exploratorium's Pi Day Celebration Page.

Process Part III: Celebrating Pi Day

Spend a few hours celebrating Pi Day by engaging in some online activities. You may choose activities from the websites listed above or from the suggested sites listed below. Alternatively, you may find your own activities by searching the web.

  1. Pi Day, the official web site for Pi Day.
  2. The Exploratorium's Pi Day Celebration Page
  3. The Joy of Pi
  4. TeachPi.org
  5. The Math Forum Pi Day
  6. Education World

 

Resources:

  1. Selected lessons from Math Goodies Unit on Circumference and Area of Circles.
  2. Selected crossword puzzles from Math Goodies.
  3. Selected websites listed above in the Process section.
  4. Search engines such as Google, Live Search and Yahoo!

Evaluation:

  1. Note the immediate feedback in the exercises from each lesson above.
  2. View the solutions to the crossword puzzles above.
  3. Share your Pi Day activities with a classmate or family member.
  4. Create your own Pi Day activity, such as a song, an image, a poem, or a poster.


Conclusion:

Congratulations. You learned about the meaning of Pi and how it is calculated. You have also learned about the history of Pi. You celebrated Pi Day by engaging in activities found on the web.

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