Math is useful, interesting, and fun. Celebrate Math Days to learn more and enjoy yourself more in life!
By Mark D. Harris
Mathematics is one of most important fields of study in the modern world, and understanding math must be a foundational goal for every person. Unfortunately, many children, adolescents and adults fear math. It is not easy to understand and so they believe that they cannot understand it.
Families and teachers can celebrate dates that correspond to important mathematical concepts. Using food, games, and prizes, they can teach children, and themselves, that math is fun. In honor of the upcoming Square Root Day (4-4-16), I have provided this list for my readers.
Annual
Golden Ratio Day (1/6) – January 6
For over 2,000 years, scientists and artists have been fascinated with the Golden Ratio. It is defined as two quantities having the same ratio to each other that the larger of the two has to their sum. For example, a line segment AC comprised of segments AB (larger) and BC (smaller) would be in the Golden Ratio if AB+BC is to AB as AB is to BC. The decimal equivalent of the Golden Ratio is 1.618 to 1. Many proportions of the Greek Parthenon are in the Golden Ratio, as is the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. The ratio is also found in music, art and nature. Do something “golden” for yourself, and for someone, else today.
E day (2/7) – February 7
E is an irrational number used in exponential and logarithmic functions. Celebrants can do things relating to e, such as eating foods (eggs, enchiladas, English muffins, etc) and doing activities (like going to the zoo to see elephants or the aquarium to see eels).
Pi Day (3/14) – March 14
Pi, the constant used to calculate the area (πr2) and circumference (2πr) of a circle, is 3.14159…. The Pi date of the century is 3/14/15. Some families serve pies of various types (pizza pie, apple pie) to observe it. Thomas Jefferson School of Science and Technology in Virginia band, cheerleaders and fans used to count down to pi in the fourth quarter of football games (3.24, 3.23…3.16, 3.15, Pi!!!) but the same countdown can be used for any sport.
Tau Day (6/28) – June 28
Some argue that Tau, not Pi, is the real circle constant (T=C/r=6.28318). If you are in this select group, express yourself by celebrating Tau day every June. The Tau date of the century is 6/28/31.
Pi Approximation Day (7/22 or 22/7 military and European notation) – July 22
Summer is a time when children often forget the lessons they learned the year before. The fractional equivalent of pi is 22/7 (3.14285…), and 22 July is almost half way between the end of one school year and the beginning of another. Families can celebrate Pi Approximation Day during the heat of summer with snow cones (V=πr3h/3), scoops of ice cream (V=4/3πr3), and of course, ice cream pies.
Gravity Day (9/8) – September 8
The acceleration due to gravity on earth is 9.8 m/s2, or 32 f/s2. Whether you are a pencil or a rock, neglecting wind resistance, you will fall to the ground at that rate. Do a gravity project, or at least gain some weight, on this happy day.
Light Speed Day (10/8) – October 8
October gets a lot of good math days because scientific notation uses 10x rather than adding a bunch of zeroes behind a number. The speed of light (3×108 m/s or 186,000 miles per second) is a fundamental constant of the universe and deserves celebration. Besides, we believe that the more celebrations, the better.
Powers of 10 Day (10/10) – October 10
The greatest power of 10 day is 10/10/10, but math nerds can celebrate powers of 10 day every year. Do ten things, spend ten dollars, or work ten puzzles. Enjoy your tens!
Mole Day (10/23) – October 23
Avagadro’s Number (6.02×1023) is a fundamental constant in chemistry, describing how many particles of any substance make a mole of that substance. Celebrate it from 0602 to 1802 (6:02 AM to 6:02 PM).
Fibonacci Day (11/23) – November 23
The sequence is 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144,… Each number is produced by adding the two numbers immediately preceding. The next number in the sequence above would be 89+144 = 233. The Fibonacci sequence describes many natural phenomena including the branching of trees and generations of honeybees.
Gross Day (12/12) – December 12
A gross is 144 (12×12), whether a gross of quarters or a gross of candy canes. Families can celebrate Gross Day by making a gross of something (Christmas cookies), collecting a gross of something (beautiful fall leaves after Thanksgiving), or enjoying a gross of time (144 minutes) together (playing, singing, eating or dancing).
Every Century
Special Math Days in a Century
| Same Number Day | Series Day | Square Root Day | Pythagorean Theorem Day | Odd Day |
| 1/1/01 | 1/2/03 | 1/1/01 | 3/4/05 | 1/3/05 |
| 2/2/02 | 2/3/04 | 2/2/04 | 4/3/05 | 3/5/07 |
| 3/3/03 | 3/4/05 | 3/3/09 | 6/8/10 | 5/7/09 |
| 4/4/04 | 4/5/06 | 4/4/16 | 8/6/10 | 7/9/11 |
| 5/5/05 | 5/6/07 | 5/5/25 | 5/12/13 | 9/11/13 |
| 6/6/06 | 6/7/08 | 6/6/36 | 12/5/13 | 11/13/15 |
| 7/7/07 | 7/8/09 | 7/7/49 | 9/12/15 | |
| 8/8/08 | 8/9/10 | 8/8/64 | 12/9/15 | |
| 9/9/09 | 9/10/11 | 9/9/81 | 8/15/17 | |
| 10/10/10 | 10/11/12 | 12/16/20 | ||
| 11/11/11 | 11/12/13 | 7/24/25 | ||
| 12/12/12 | 12/13/14 | 10/24/26 |
These days are all occasions to party, but unfortunately most of them have passed for this century. Enjoy those that remain with family and friends, and pass this list on to your grandchildren. They will have a great time.
