Learn the first 100 digits of Pi with this color wheel activity that helps kids to visualize numbers of Pi in the first 100 digits and learn about color wheels!
What is Pi?
Pi, or π, is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter. In case you need a refresher, the circumference of a circle is the distance all the way around and the diameter of a circle is the distance across the middle.
Pi begins 3.1415 and mathematicians have spent thousands of years studying this irrational number. Trillions of digits of Pi have been identified so far!
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Fun Facts About Pi
Did you know that the symbol for Pi was first introduced by William Jones, a Welsh mathematician, in 1706? The mathematician Euler made the symbol popular, but the symbol of Pi has been in use for more than 250 years! Wow!
According to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, you only need about 39 or 40 decimal places of Pi to calculate the circumference of the visible universe with an accuracy equal to the diameter of a hydrogen atom. This is because the visible universe has a radius of about 46 billion light years.
The calculation of Pi is used as a stress test for a computer. The calculation works like a digital cardiogram that indicates the level of activity within the computer’s processor.
The Greek letter for Pi is the first letter of the words periphery and perimeter. Pi refers to the ratio of a circle’s “periphery”, a.k.a. circumference, to its diameter.
What is a Color Wheel?
There are two types of color wheels – RGB and RYB. RYB color wheel are red, yellow, blue wheels that are typically used by artists. The RGB color wheel, or red, green, blue wheel is designed for online use since it refers to mixing light like on a computer or television screen.
What colors are on a color wheel?
A color wheel has 12 main colors. In the RBG (red/green/blue) color wheel, these hues include red, orange, yellow, green + yellow, green, green + cyan, cyan, blue + cyan, blue, blue + magenta, magenta, and red + magenta.
A color wheel is divided into primary, secondary, and tertiary colors.
Hexadecimal colors are defined by a mix of red, green, and blue meaning they use the RGB color system. The RGB color system is also referred to as an “additive” system because it starts with black and color is added.
Each color has 256 levels of intensity, which means that there are over 16 million hex color codes to choose from!
What are Primary Colors
Primary colors in the RBG color wheel are the colors that create pure white light when added together. These are red, green, and blue.
In the RYB (red/yellow/blue) color wheel, primary colors cannot be made from other colors. These colors are red, yellow, and blue.
What are Secondary Colors
Secondary colors are colors that are made from mixing two primary colors. There are three secondary colors. In the RBG color wheel, these colors are cyan, yellow, and magenta. These colors are made by mixing red and green to make yellow, green and blue to make cyan, and blue and red to make magenta.
In contrast, the RYB color wheel has secondary colors of purple, orange, and green. These colors are made by mixing red and blue to make purple, red and yellow to make orange, and yellow and blue to make green.
What are Tertiary Colors?
Tertiary colors are colors that are made by combining a secondary color with a primary color. There are six tertiary colors.
In the RGB color wheel, the tertiary colors are red + yellow (orange), yellow + green (spring green), green + cyan (chartreuse), blue + cyan (azure), blue + magenta (violet), and red + magenta (rose).
In the RYB color wheel, the tertiary colors are red-orange, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, and red-violet.
Frequently Asked Questions about Pi
3.1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679
Pi is the ratio of the circumference of any circle to the diameter of that circle. The approximate value of Pi is 3.14.
Archimedes of Syracuse was the first person to calculate Pi.
Pi is an irrational number and has no final digit.
Visualize the First 100 Digits of Pi
This Pi day activity is a great way to visualize the number of times a number is present within the first 100 digits of Pi.
To get started, print the Pi color wheel worksheet (you can grab this at the end of the post) and some Crayola crayons (the Crayola colors match the RGB colors better than other crayons) and colored pencils!
Next, assign a color to each of your digits. Because color wheels have 12 colors, we had to choose 10 of the colors that made the most sense from a graphic design standpoint.
We used the ten colors with each numbers shown below. You can also see the hexadecimal number that corresponds with each color too!
0 – ROSE (#FF007F)
1 – RED (#FF0000)
2 – ORANGE (#FF7F00)
3 – YELLOW (#FFFF00)
4 – GREEN (#00FF00)
5 – CHARTREUSE (#00FF7F)
6 – CYAN (#00FFFF)
7 – BLUE (#0000FF)
8 – VIOLET (#7F00FF)
9 – MAGENTA (#FF00FF)
First 40 Digits of Pi
We paused halfway through our activity to make some observations after recording 36 digits of Pi.
We observed that there were very few zeroes, sixes, and fives. On the other hand, there were quite a few eights and threes in the first 36 digits of Pi.
First 100 Digits of Pi
We used the first 100 digits of Pi to complete our activity. After marking the 100 digits of Pi, we
Books for Pi Day
Check out these books to celebrate Pi Day!
Find more Pi Day Activities
Check out these great STEAM Pi Day activities for kids that pair math with technology, art, engineering, and science!
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Pi Mosaic Color Coding
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Learn about Circles with Watercolor Compass Art
We love any reason to geek out and Pi Day is one of our favorite days to enjoy some math and art activities! From coding Pi necklaces to creating Pi mosaic cityscapes, we try to do a range of projects in our house so that each of our kids can geek out with us! This watercolor compass art activity is perfect for a wide range of ages and learning levels
How to Code a Circle with JavaScript
This math + art + technology activity is designed to show how JavaScript programs can be used to make drawings and introduce kids to the coordinate system used.
Meet Toni, the Maker Mom behind Our Family Code
Hey there, I’m Toni! I’m a software engineer and Maker Mom that finds my joy in unleashing my children’s curiosity by exploring STEAM concepts with my fantastic five!
When I’m not chasing toddlers or raising tweens, you can find me tearing things up and putting them back together over here at Our Family Code.
I am the owner and content creator of multiple educational websites designed to increase access to STEAM & STEM education with a focus on teaching computer science and coding to kids of all ages!
You can also find out more about me by visiting ToniGardner.com!
