3.14159. That’s as far as I can go reciting the digits of ∏. With computers, ∏ has been calculated to 10 trillion digits. It has been memorized up to 67,000 digits. WOW!
Today is International ∏ Day. It began in 1988 as a celebration of ∏ planned by Larry Shaw of the Exploratorium in San Francisco; March 14, 3/14 suggesting 3.14, the beginning of ∏. Next year International ∏ Day will be on 3/14/15 representing even more of ∏. International ∏ Day was so designated by the US House of Representatives on 3/12/09.
What can we say about ∏? It is the ratio between the circumference and the diameter of a circle. It is one of the most widely known constants in math and science. It is an irrational number, never ending and never resolving into a repeating pattern. I have also been told that ∏ is a transcendent number, but the concepts I need to understand that definition are too deeply buried to be accessed!
While ∏ is ubiquitous and constant, it is also irrational and transcendent, never resolving. So it is unending, like the circle it describes. The concept of ∏ describes an aspect of the physical universe in an orderly, precise, and universal way, but it also implies mystery.
I think the concept of ∏ helps give us insight into our understanding of God. We may think of God as the source of an orderly universe which is also infinite and beyond calculation. The unending nature of ∏ and a circle remind us of the unendingness of God and divine love. ∏ is key to understanding and solving many concepts in math and science. Similarly faith in God also aids our understanding of life and creation and ourselves. And, I must say, I love that ∏ is a transcendent number, even if I don’t fully understand what that means. I can’t say that I fully understand transcendence or God in the spiritual realm, either!
∏ appears perfect and unending. Like God.
International ∏ Day is often celebrated with the eating of pie. So, happy ∏ day. Enjoy a slice of your favorite pie. Unless you have given up sweets or desserts for Lent!
Prayer: In this Lenten season as we reflect more deeply, may we appreciate the magnificence and mystery of creation; a complete whole formed of orderly and seemingly chaotic elements held in perfect dynamic balance. Our lives can seem to be a mixture of chaos and order as well. Sometimes we see the perfect form and other times there seems to be unending mystery and perplexity. May we seek a balance of certainty and mystery in our faith. May we accept the unknown and trust the known as a dynamic whole working for the good of all. Amen.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 