Square Root Day: Win $339 For Being a Math Maniac
It’s Square Root Day 2009! For you non-geek types, that means the current month and date add up to the year: 3/3/09. Don’t downplay the significance, either–Square Root Day happens only nine times per century.
Square Root Day 2009
It seems people worldwide are celebrating this Square Root Day 2009. Some of the festivities, quite fittingly, include cutting root vegetables into squares and making food in the shape of the square root symbol.
The last Square Root Day was on February 2 of 2004 (yep, Groundhog Day). The next isn’t until April 4, 2016.
Square Root Day Contest
So onto the cash: Ron Gordon, a teacher from Redwood City, California, has started a contest to drum up excitement about the Square Root Day holiday. Gordon is looking for the largest Square Root Day celebration. He wants to see the square root-related event with the highest number of people involved.
Think you’ve got the goods to compete? Gordon is handing up prizes totaling, of course, $339. Send photos and/or descriptions of your event to rgordon [at] seq.org, or mail them to Ron Gordon, P.O. Box 5133, Redwood City, CA 94063.
Pi Day, Odd Day, and Other Math Holidays
You’ve got a good several years to wait for more square root fun, but fear not: More mathematical holidays are on the way sooner. Here are some upcoming occasions:
• Pi Day: March 4, 2009. You know, 3.14. Ignore the 09.
• Odd Day: May 7, 2009. Three odd numbers appear in the appropriate order (3/7/09).
• Mole Day: October 23 at 6:02 (a.m. or p.m.). The date and time match the chemistry measuring unit of “mole”: 6.02 x 10 to the 23rd power. Suggestion: Celebrate this one alone. Some things, your friends just don’t need to know.
