International Day of Mathematics (IDM) is annually observed across the globe on 14th March to celebrate the beauty and importance of mathematics and its essential role in everyone’s life. The day also marks the birth anniversary of renowned mathematician and physicist Albert Einstein and death anniversary of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.┬а
- The theme of the International Day of Mathematics 2021 is тАЬMathematics for a Better WorldтАЭ.┬а
- The International Day of Mathematics is led by the International Basic Sciences Programme (IBSP) and the International Mathematical Union.┬а┬а
Why March 14?
The Pi Day was observed on 14th March since the date written in MM/DD Format – 3/14 represents the value of Pi – 3.14.
Background:
i.At the 205th session of its Executive Council, UNESCO proclaimed the 14th March (Pi Day) as the International Day of Mathematics.
ii.The proclamation was adopted at the 40th session of the General Assembly of UNESCO held on 25th November 2019.
iii.The first International Day of Mathematics was observed on 14th March 2020.┬а
iv.Prior to the recognition of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2019, The International Day of Mathematics was observed as Pi Day. The first pi day was observed on 14th March 1988 which was organised by Physicist Larry Shaw.
Facts about Pi:
i.Pi, represented by the lowercase Greek letter тАШ╧АтАЩ, is an irrational number, a decimal with no end and no repeating pattern, whose value is approximated to 3.14 or fraction 22/7.┬а
ii.The value of Pi was first calculated by the mathematician тАШArchimedesтАЩ of Syracuse.
iii.The scientific community officially accepted the value after Leonhard Euler came up with the symbol of Pi in 1737.
UNESCOтАЩs support to Mathematics:
The UNESCO is committed towards providing access to mathematics education and research in developing countries through its educational programmes, regional centres for mathematics in Hanoi, Viet Nam and Accra, Ghana.
