Junior Secondary Maths Week
31 Mar 2025
BBSG Junior Secondary School celebrated Pi Day with a week-long maths event themed "Pi Connects Infinite Possibilities". Students from Grades 6 to 8 chose one of four themes—π and Its Origins, π and Technology, π and Visual Arts, π and Music—to demonstrate the endless allure of π through creativity and intellect.
In the "π and Its Origins" theme, students delved into the discovery and evolution of π through historical research and mathematical experiments. Their exploration highlighted its significance in the history of mathematics.
In the "π and Technology" section, students applied programming and mathematical models to showcase π's applications in modern technology, including artificial intelligence, aerospace, and data encryption. They highlighted its vital role in driving scientific and technological advancements.
*3D-printing trophy for π Day Maths activity winners
The "π and Visual Arts" theme was filled with creativity and beauty. Students transformed the infinite and non-repeating nature of π into breathtaking visual pieces through painting, sculpture, and digital art. Their work showcased the seamless fusion of mathematics and art.
In the "π and Music" segment, students converted π's numerical sequence into musical notes. They played unique melodies that interpreted the rhythmic beauty of π through the sound of the violin.
Learning Moments
What origin stories of π did you explore in your project?
I traced the history of π back to ancient Babylonian clay tablets, where they approximated it as '3+1/8'. The Egyptian Rhind Papyrus provided an even more accurate estimate of about 3.16! However, what truly amazed me was Archimedes' method of using a 96-sided polygon to approximate π. It's fascinating to realise that he was essentially applying "limit" concepts in ancient times, laying the foundation for modern calculus!
What insights did you gain from studying this history?
I came to understand that mathematics wasn't suddenly "discovered". Rather, it's more like a sculpture that humanity has been carefully shaping over thousands of years. π is like a precious gem that different civilisations have helped polish throughout history.
What challenges did you face during your research, and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge was dealing with conflicting historical records. For instance, there's debate about how many sides Archimedes used in his polygon approximation. While Greek texts state 96, some archaeological evidence suggests he may have experimented with more. In addition, there's a timeline discrepancy between William Jones and Euler regarding the origin of the π symbol. To address this, we cross-referenced a variety of sources, from Babylonian tablets to Chinese annotations in The Nine Chapters on Mathematical Art. Ultimately, we created an interactive timeline that showcases the different historical accounts, clearly highlighting disputed points. This approach enhanced the academic rigour of our project by acknowledging these historical uncertainties.
