What is 3.14159?

3.14159 is a number that helps us understand circles, like the round pizza you love to eat.

Imagine you have a circular pizza. If you measure the distance around the edge of the pizza, that's called the circumference. Now, if you measure from one side of the pizza through the middle to the other side, that’s the diameter, like slicing the pizza straight down the middle.

Here’s the fun part: no matter how big or small your pizza is, if you divide the circumference by the diameter, you always get a number very close to 3.14159. This number is so important it has its own name, pi (π).

• If you know the size of a circle (the radius or diameter), you can find out how long the edge is using pi.
• Pi helps us build round things like wheels, clocks, and even space shuttles!
• You might not realize it, but pi is hiding in everything round, from your bicycle wheel to the sun!

So next time you eat a pizza, remember that 3.14159 is there too, helping make your meal just a little bit more perfect.