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March 17, 2005

Math, Science Departments Celebrate "Pi" with the Real Thing

On Monday, March 14, ULM faculty and students in mathematics and the sciences joined campuses across the nation to pay tribute the number Pi on Monday. This day was chosen because the date reads as 3/14 in the traditional U.S. format. Dr. Serpil Saydam in mathematics and Robyn Jordan in biology were the principle organizers this year. The group gave out real pie for free to celebrate the day.

The symbol for Pi, which is the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, was first used for the familiar value 3.14159 and in the publication, "Synopsis Palmariorium Mathesios," authored by William Jones in 1706. Thus, 2005 marks the 299th Anniversary of the use of this familiar mathematical symbol. Besides the typical uses in geometry, Pi appears in a wide variety of applications including signal analysis, advanced probability and mathematical models of waves.

Please direct questions to Saydam at 342-1922 or Jordan at 342-1946.

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