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A Slice of Pi British English Teacher
A Slice of Pi British English Teacher
A SLICE
OF PI
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1 Warm up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9a5vHXsUvUw&ab_channel=TED-Ed
2. Radius the distance from the edge of a circle to the middle point
4. 3.141592 the value of the Greek letter pi, which can be used to find the size of the circle
Answer the questions:
1. Did you know that we celebrate Pi Day on the 14th of March every year? Why do you think
this date was chosen?
I knew that we celebrate Pi Day.The date was chosen because of the numbers in Pi.3.14 equals
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GENERAL ENGLISH · ENGLISH IN VIDEO · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)
14th March.
2. Why do you think there is a special day to celebrate pi?
Because it is so important in our lifes even though some of us don’t even know that.Without Pi a lot of
projects wouldn’t be made possible.
UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)
A SLICE OF PI
2 Vocabulary
You are going to watch a TED talk called, "The Infinite Life of Pi". Before you watch, match these
words from the video with their meanings.
Group 1
2. e stimate b. find the size or amount of something, usually using a number, for
example 50 cm or 3 kg- 4
3. fi gure out c. learn something so well that you can remember it without any
mistakes- 5.
4. m
measure d. make a guess about the size or amount of something-2
5. m
memorize e. understand or find a solution to a problem-3
Group 2
4. particle d. the number of things in a place, compared to the size of the place-1
6. wave f. the shape that some types of energy (like sound or light) make-6
A SLICE OF PI
For each of the five topics, choose the best item to complete the sentence, according to the video.
Then watch the video to check.
1. Measuring circles - Something that won’t directly measure the circumference of a circle:
measuring tape / a ruler / string.
2. The history of pi - A group of people who didn’t have some estimated form of pi: the Greeks /
the Mayans / the Chinese.
3. The precise value of pi - For most calculations, scientists use a value of pi that is this many
numbers in length: 40 / 67,000 / a quadrillion.
4. Some scientific uses of pi - We don’t use pi to understand the orbit ofsatellites / medicine /
music.
5. Pi in physics - We don’t use pi in this type of research: the density of the universe / how light
works / life on other planets.
4 Mathematical vocabulary
Read the examples and answer the questions to define ten mathematical terms. (Note that the
numbers in the video and the exercise are written using the anglophone convention for commas
and full-stops.)
r atio: For every three boys in the class, there were two girls (3:2).
f raction: They ate 2/3 (two thirds) of the pie so there was 1/3 (one third) left.
d ecimal place: Here, pi has been described to six decimal places, 3.141592.
A SLICE OF PI
equation: 3 + 19 = 2 x 11
statistics: 23% of people in this population are taller than 160 cm.
1. Which term describes an area of mathematics where facts are expressed as numbers?
statistics
2. Which term means a mathematical statement that shows two items are equal? equation
curve: You can see from the line on the graph that most days the temperature was over 20 degrees.
whole numbers: For example, 10, 34, 98, 876, but not -13, 3/4, 6.73.
1. Which term refers to basic numbers that we use for counting? Whole numbers
2. Which term refers to a number whose decimal places never end? Irrational numbers
A SLICE OF PI
Read these sentences from the video, which include mathematical vocabulary in bold. Decide if the
sentences are true or false. Watch the video to check your ideas.
1. In a circle, the ratio of the circumference divided by the diameter will always be the same
number.-T
2. By the year 1400, the value of pi had been calculated to as far as twelve decimal places.-T
3. Pi is an irrational number, which means that it can sometimes be expressed as a ratio of two
whole numbers.-F
4. We can try to express pi as a whole number, but the fraction will never be completely precise
because the digits of pi continue forever.,T
5. We test the accuracy of new computers by asking them to calculate pi.-T
6. Some people can remember 6,700 digits of pi.-T
7. We use pi to calculate the volume of boxes.-F
8. Pi is also useful for equations that describe the shape of curves, so it can help us understand
test scores.-T
1. Which of the terms in bold do you think will be the most useful for you when you use English?
volume
2. Which will be the least useful?
Whole number
3. What was the most interesting or surprising thing you saw in the video?
That the number of digits in Pi is larger than all the objects in universe.
A SLICE OF PI
6 Talking
point
Discuss these questions in pairs or small groups.
There are many reasons why having good maths skills is important for everyone. Decide which three
of these ten reasons are the most important and which three are the least important.
• It helps you plan how you spend and save your money.
• It’s good for your brain and helps develop skills like paying attention and making decisions.
• Thinking like a mathematician helps you solve lots of other problems in life.
A SLICE OF PI
7 Optional extension
Read these sentences from the TED talk and choose the best meaning for the phrases in bold.
1. In fact, the ratio between the two, the circumference divided by the diameter, will always be the
same number, no matter how big or small the circle gets.
a. There is no relationship between the size of the circle and the value of pi.
b. There is a weak relationship between the size of the circle and the value of pi.
c. There is a strong relationship between the size of the circle and the value of pi.
2. You can come close, but no matter how precise the fraction is, it will always be just a tiny bit off.
3. In statistics, pi is used in the equation to calculate the area under a normal distribution curve,
which comes in handy for figuring out distributions of standardized test scores, financial models,
or margins of error in scientific results.
• No matter how many times I study it, I still cant get the results I want.
• I’m always a tiny bit off when I try to calculate its mass.
• WD-40 really comes in handy when I want to untighten the screws.
A SLICE OF PI
Transcripts
Reynaldo Lopes: Try to measure a circle. The diameter and radius are easy, they’re just straight lines
you can measure with a ruler. But to get the circumference, you’d need
measuring tape or a piece of string, unless there was a better way.
Reynaldo Lopes: Now, it’s obvious that a circle’s circumference would get smaller or larger along
with its diameter, but the relationship goes further than that. In fact, the ratio
between the two, the circumference divided by the diameter, will always be the
same number, no matter how big or small the circle gets. Historians aren’t sure
when or how this number was first discovered, but it’s been known in some form
for almost 4,000 years.
Reynaldo Lopes: Estimates of it appear in the works of ancient Greek, Babylonian, Chinese, and
Indian mathematicians. And it’s even believed to have been used in building the
Egyptian pyramids. Mathematicians estimated it by inscribing polygons in circles.
And by the year 1400, it had been calculated to as far as ten decimal places.
Reynaldo Lopes: So, when did they finally figure out the exact value instead of just estimating?
Actually, never! You see, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter is
what’s known as an irrational number, one that can never be expressed as a ratio
of two whole numbers.
Reynaldo Lopes: You can come close, but no matter how precise the fraction is, it will always be just
a tiny bit off. So, to write it out in its decimal form, you’d have an on-going series
of digits starting with 3.14159 and continuing forever! That’s why, instead of
trying to write out an infinite number of digits every time, we just refer to it
using the Greek letter pi.
Reynaldo Lopes: Nowadays, we test the speed of computers by having them calculate pi, and
quantum computers have been able to calculate it up to two quadrillion digits.
People even compete to see how many digits they can memorise and have set
records for remembering over 67,000 of them. But for most scientific uses, you
only need the first forty or so. And what are these scientific uses?
Reynaldo Lopes: Well, just about any calculations involving circles, from the volume of a can of soda
to the orbits of satellites. And it’s not just circles, either. Because it’s also useful
in studying curves, pi helps us understand periodic or oscillating systems like
clocks, electromagnetic waves, and even music.
Reynaldo Lopes: In statistics, pi is used in the equation to calculate the area under a normal
distribution curve, which comes in handy for figuring out distributions of
standardized test scores, financial models, or margins of error in scientific results.
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TEACHER MATERIALS · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)
A SLICE OF PI
Reynaldo Lopes: As if that weren’t enough, pi is used in particle physics experiments, such as
those using the Large Hadron Collider, not only due to its round shape, but more
subtly, because of the orbits in which tiny particles move. Scientists have even
used pi to prove the illusive notion that light functions as both a particle and an
electromagnetic wave, and, perhaps most impressively, to calculate the density
of our entire universe, which, by the way, still has infinitely less stuff in it than
the total number of digits in pi.
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A SLICE OF PI
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