Expressing support for designation of March 14, 2021, as "National Pi Day".

IV 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 221 Expressing support for designation of March 14, 2021, as ‘‘National Pi Day’’. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 11, 2021 Mr. FOSTER (for himself, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. RUSH, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. HIMES, Mr. KILMER, Mr. COHEN, Mr. TONKO, Ms. KAPTUR, and Ms. HOULAHAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology RESOLUTION Expressing support for designation of March 14, 2021, as ‘‘National Pi Day’’. Whereas the Greek letter (Pi) is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter; Whereas the ratio Pi is an irrational number, which will con- tinue infinitely without repeating, and has been cal- culated to over 50 trillion digits; Whereas Pi is a fundamental mathematical constant that has been studied throughout history and is central in mathe- matics as well as science and engineering; Whereas mathematics and science are a critical part of our children’s education; VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:22 Mar 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR221.IH HR221 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 221 IH Whereas aptitude in mathematics, science, and engineering is essential for a knowledge-based society; Whereas, according to the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) survey done by the National Center for Education Statistics, American children in the fourth and eighth grades were out- performed by students in other countries including Singa- pore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan; Whereas students from underrepresented minorities and from schools with high poverty rates have lower than average scores on the TIMSS survey; Whereas, while through eighth grade girls and boys have similar math and science scores on the TIMSS survey, there is a significant gender gap in math and physics scores at the end of high school; Whereas the United States needs to reinforce mathematics and science education for all students in order to better prepare children for the future and to succeed in a 21st- century economy; Whereas the National Science Foundation has been driving innovation in math and science education at all levels from elementary through graduate education since its creation 71 years ago; Whereas mathematics and science can be a fun and inter- esting part of a child’s education, and learning about Pi can be an engaging way to teach children about geometry and attract them to study science and mathematics; and Whereas Pi can be approximated as 3.14, and thus March 14, 2021, is an appropriate day for ‘‘National Pi Day’’: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:22 Mar 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR221.IH HR221 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 221 IH (1) supports the designation of a ‘‘Pi Day’’ and 1 its celebration around the world; 2 (2) recognizes the continuing importance of the 3 National Science Foundation’s math and science 4 education programs; and 5 (3) encourages schools and educators to observe 6 the day with appropriate activities that teach stu- 7 dents about Pi and engage them about the study of 8 mathematics. 9 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:22 Mar 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR221.IH HR221 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS