PI Day 2021: Infinite Combinations

Since we are PI (Potomac Indexing), we’ve always held the mathematical constant, π, close to our hearts and use it in our logo. So, today being π day, we are again celebrating the usefulness of this great and ultimately impossible-to-pin-down number (more on π’s unique qualities at Wikipedia, here).

PI and Indexing

As indexers and taxonomists, we work with natural language every day (the kind used to write this blog and discuss with friends and colleagues). We also live with the almost infinite possible combinations of terms used by humans to create meaning. We know that there is no way to always provide an exact correlation between a term and the concept it belongs to, or even to know if this mention of a name provides a complete reference for that person’s role in a book. And often there are multiple options to come up with the “best” term for something. Natural languages just provide so many nuances and options as semantic targets that getting a bullseye still requires the also-nuanced intelligence of the human mind (although I’d be interested in a test to see if IBM’s Watson could create an index comparable to one created by a human).

And so with pi: it helps us to measure a circle, but we can never make it completely accurate. There will always be a some flexibility, something other than a set value. But pi’s usefulness continues to allow us to better understand the geometry of our universe, even without absolute accuracy. 🙂

Celebrating PI Day Around the Web

Starting with the parachute for the Mars rover, Perseverance, NASA has more fun info on the usefulness of PI in their physics and engineering worlds.

It seems that in the 19th century, one mathematician tried to simplify PI by legislation in Indiana. Check out ABC’s story for the results.

The TED-Ed folks have a short video from 2013 about properties of pi.

At Harvard, they recited PI to celebrate the day. Learn more in this video.

And there’s an official PI Day organization, so if the previous links haven’t filled your mind’s appetite for pi, you can digest some more facts here.

Do you have a favorite pi pun or joke? Or just a favorite pie (mine’s cherry)? Let us know!