It’s Pi Day, a celebration of the mathematical constant that is (among other things) the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter. Since pi begins with 3.14 (hence the date), it is an irrational number that continues infinitely after the decimal. In addition to eluding accurate definition by being unending, pi is a transcendental number: it is impossible to express using rational numbers and impossible to construct geometrically with programs or tools. Pi was of vital importance to the mathematical and architectural studies of a number of ancient cultures around the world, including those of Greece and Egypt.

Today, bake or purchase a delicious pie. (In addition to being a pun on pi, a pie is a circle and therefore an actual representation of pi.) Light a candle and enjoy the pie with one or more friends as you quietly contemplate the transcendent and infinite nature of the cosmos and the entire physical world.