UT Dallas > Computer Science > Event > UT Dallas CS Co-Sponsors the Mathematical Science Department’s π Day Celebration

UT Dallas CS Co-Sponsors the Mathematical Science Department’s π Day Celebration

Last month the UT Dallas Department of Mathematical Sciences celebrated National PI Day with a series of lectures and pies. Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14) around the world. Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159. The event was co-sponsored by the UT Dallas Computer Science Department.

To celebrate Pi Day, both departments hosted a series of popular talks given by members of UT Dallas, UT Southwester Medical Center, and high school students from Plano East Senior High. Attendees were also served pie as a way to honor Pi day.The 2016 Pi Day included the following talks:

  • Welcome Remarks and Introductions given by Vladimir Dragovic, Head of the UT Dallas Mathematical Science Department
  • Möbius and Gauss for Better Pictures given by Milena Djordjevic- Kisacanin from Plano East Senior High
  • Mathematics in Medical Imaging given by Dr. Xun Jia from UT Southwestern Medical Center
  • Mathematical Contest in Modeling given by Artem Bolshakov from the UT Dallas Department of Mathematical Sciences
  • Geometry and Music presented by Filip Jevtic a UT Dallas Department of Mathematical Sciences PhD student
  • Buffon’s Needle Problem presented by Emily Herzig, PhD student in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, and Maxim Arnold, professor at the Department of Mathematical Sciences

Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point. As an irrational and transcendental number, it will continue infinitely without repetition or pattern. While only a handful of digits are needed for typical calculations, Pi’s infinite nature makes it a fun challenge to memorize, and to computationally calculate more and more digits.

Click here to learn more about Pi Day.


About the UT Dallas Computer Science Department

The UT Dallas Computer Science program is one of the largest Computer Science departments in the United States with over 1,600 bachelor’s-degree students, more than 1,100 master’s students, 160 PhD students, and 80 faculty members, as of Fall 2015. With The University of Texas at Dallas’ unique history of starting as a graduate institution first, the CS Department is built on a legacy of valuing innovative research and providing advanced training for software engineers and computer scientists.