Not only is today Albert Einstein’s birthday, but it is also Pi Day! To celebrate, here are some fun anecdotes about two of the biggest names and influences in science.
Einstein on Education
Albert Einstein was never a big fan of school because he thought the teaching methods were subpar. He thought modern teaching methods didn’t encourage inquiry. (Film maker, Stanley Kubrick shares his sentiments.)
[blockquote]”Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” -Albert Einstein[/blockquote]
Pi and the Martyrdom of Archimedes
Legend has it that Archimedes of Syracuse, in 212 B.C., was beheaded by a Roman soldier. But before he died, he drew circles in
the sand and yelled, “Noli turbare circulos meos” (Latin: Do not disturb my circles!) Apparently, the soldier killed him despite orders by Marcus Claudius Marcellus.
[blockquote]”Noli turbare circulos meos!” -Archimedes of Syracuse[/blockquote]
Einstein The Humanitarian Hero
Not only was Einstein a brilliant mind in science and mathematics, but he was also an activist. After witnessing the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany after WWI, he began rallying for a new Jewish homeland in Palestine. He was invited to become president of Israel in 1952, but he declined the offer.
During the Civil Rights movement in America in the 1940s, Einstein wrote an essay entitled, “The Negro Question“.
[blockquote]”I can escape the feeling of complicity in it only by speaking out.” -Albert Einstein[/blockquote]
History’s Mysterious Relationship to Pi
For around 4,000 years, Pi has been a topic of research. The Babylonians studied Pi around 2000 B.C. and the ancient Egyptians calculated it by “squaring the circle” (measuring the diameter of a circle by building a square inside it). Some theories equate using Pi as a basis for building the pyramids.
[highlight]It is more accurate to say that a circle is made up of an infinite amount of corners rather than it being cornerless.[/highlight]
