Pi Day celebrating math, PLUS science in neutral
This posting comes out on Pi Day. Pi, that mathematical oddity, is simply the ratio of a circle’s diameter to its circumference. Some remember from their math education, that Pi is an irrational number, meaning a decimal with no end and no repeating pattern. In effect, a number that goes on forever. Some just say Pi is “slightly higher than 3”. Others gleefully remember Pi out to its 8th, 15th, or even 25th decimal place before stopping. I myself remember Pi as being 3.14159.
So, in honor of Pi Day, PlastiCert will be eating PIE during its breaks today. Reminding all of us, that math can and does make the world go ‘round, and to emphasize math to their children and friends!
“Probably no symbol in mathematics has evoked as much mystery, romanticism, misconception and human interest as the number Pi.”
~William L. Schaaf, Nature and History of Pi
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Science, at least in relation to space travel, seems to be stuck in neutral.
A few months back, a US based moon landing mission was shot into space and was fairly quickly deemed failed due to propellant problems.
It is amazing to think that the first powered airplane flight happened in the early 1900’s. Then 60 years later, we entered space and shortly thereafter humankind went to the Moon, landed on the Moon, and explored the Moon.
Now another 60 years later, no only have we not advanced the science, we cannot duplicate the original feat. Numerous countries have tried to land on the Moon. The United States, Japan, India, China, and Russia. Only a couple have succeeded and those were unmanned. “The lunar surface is a veritable graveyard of robotic landers and rovers that didn’t fulfill their purposes.”
I remember watching that 1969 Moon walk on television. The Apollo 11 Moon Landing on July 20, 1969, is reported to have been watched by 125–150 million people. (Some claim it is still the most watched broadcast in history. The 2023 Superbowl was watched by nearly 124 million). The world was in awe at the technological display of engineering and dedication set before us.
As an engineer (electrical but cross disciplined over my career), I am in awe of the unbelievable gains in technology since college. In computing, material science, chemistry, software, not to mention Artificial Intelligence (AI), great gains have occurred in my adult life. When I was in college, a scientific calculator was a luxury. One had to be provided by the University and shared by all of us between classes. Now everyone has infinitely more power in their pocket, contained in their cell phone and its access to the internet.
Yet, with 60 years of staggering gains in technology and science, the world struggles duplicating something that was already done when technology was in relative infancy.
We spend way too much money & time on self-gratification and not enough of either, on trying to make the world a more knowledgeable and advanced place.
PlastiCert is not in neutral. We constantly engage new designs and recently released resins and composites to offer our customers options for their new products.
We are here to make you look good in your job, while we do our job.