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Mar 14, 2009

π day and other things uniquely MIT

be-rational-get-real1.gifToday being π day (3/14), there are pie socials all over campus, and my facebook is full of people wishing each other a happy π day. This is one of those times when I shake my head and say “only at MIT”…then grab a fork and eat some pie!

I remember the first time I learned about  π. I was in Grade 9 math class, and we were learning trigonometry. My mind was already blown by Mrs. McLean’s recent introduction of the IMAGINARY variable, i, and I, thought, “what is this hokey magic - they just made up a fake number to fudge their answers!”.  Then, as I groggily woke up from a small involuntary nap on my desk, i watched her derive the equation e^iπ=-1 and i nearly flipped!  I thought i was still dreaming. You can’t put two irrational numbers together with an imaginary one and get something so simple as -1!!

Anyways, i came to understand this equation over time, and now that I do phase imaging, i deal with e, i and π everyday. But I think that was one of my earliest memories of being shocked by the elegance of math and wanting to know how and why such complex (hehe) things could have such real implications.

It really is “only at MIT” that I can feel comfortable telling such a nerdy story without getting stuffed in a locker. And speaking of complex numbers, let me share with you another great equation that I made up myself:

ploarbear.jpg

get it?? bee x ear = polar bear!

Be^ar in polar form!!

oh, come on, it’s hilarious!

The author has filed this entry under the "nerdiness" category.

A Response To This Entry:

    haha.. ok, I’ll laugh.

    btw, I think the imaginary # thing is universal:
    http://xkcd.com/179/

    Posted by: fchen on March 24th, 2009 at 1:02 am

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