Math, sweet treats mark Pi Day

MOUNT VERNON – Three classes of Lincoln Elementary School students stared at the clock in anticipation Wednesday, waiting for the face to read 1:59.

Once it did, the fifth- and sixth-graders started reciting the digits of pi – as many as they could remember. One by one, sometimes in groups, the students sat down when they could recall no more. A small group of students remained standing and recited the numbers in unison.

Some students stared at their hands as they spoke, or into the air. Eric Lopez ticked the numbers off on his fingers as he said them aloud and shifted from foot to foot.

Three minutes later, only Eric, 11, remained standing. He had just recited 132 digits of pi. Fellow students cheered, patted him on the back and congratulated his feat. On his second run, he remembered 150 digits. Eric said he started memorizing the constant on March 9.

“I did it because I thought I could win,” he said. “I tried memorizing (the digits of pi) 10 at a time, and my friends also helped me memorize it.” His prize was a pie baked by his teacher, Teresa Vaughn, of last season’s blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and one peach.

For the past 10 years, students at Lincoln Elementary have celebrated Pi Day every March 14. The number, which begins 3.14159 and continues to an infinite number of digits, is used to calculate the circumference, diameter and radius of circles – and for much more in higher mathematics.

Vaughn said celebrating Pi Day is important for sixth-graders, because the state expects students of that age to understand circles.

Her students this year were especially enthusiastic about Pi Day, she said. Some of them came in during recess and composed a song about pi on the classroom’s ukuleles.

In addition, the students brought family pie recipes to class. On Wednesday, they baked them. It was part math lesson, part chemistry lesson.