Pi Day: Recalling infinite digits and reveling in celebratory pies

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- No matter how you slice it, many would agree any excuse to enjoy pie is a good one. On March 14th in particular, the secret ingredient is a bit of mathematics.

March 14th is known as Pi Day. It celebrates the mathematical constant 3.14.

RELATED: What is pi? Here's an explanation that uses pie in honor of Pi Day

San Jose resident Joseph Chu admitted to ABC7 News, "If it's anything that deals with math, I'm trying to stay away from it."

Pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. With 3.14 on our calendars, it's more of a challenge recalling the infinite digits associated.

ABC7 News was in Downtown San Jose, asking people to recite digits in pi.

Patty Campbell from Sunnyvale said, "3.14 is the only thing I know about pi."

"Just 3.14," San Jose resident, Joe Mirarchi, said. "That's all I got for you."

Billy Crane from San Mateo told ABC7 News, "Oh man, 3.14 is actually all I know!"

"I know 3.149? That's all I know," San Jose's Tina Gonterman said. "Did I get 9 correct?" Unfortunately, no. Guesses came with lots of giggles on Thursday.

However, Google employee, Emma Iwao had us all beat. She set a record for calculating the most accurate value of pi, recalling more than 31 trillion digits.

Equally impressive was the number of Pi Day pies Voahangy Rasetarinera pumped out of her home kitchen in San Jose.

"1,020 of the minis, 25 of the large, and just 10 of the small ones" Rasetarinera said.

She is the owner and baker of a one woman operation called "The Giving Pies."

For two years, she's baked homemade pies. Her popular pie business started on Pi Day of 2017. Back then, she set an initial goal of raising money to benefit the Bay Area organization Exceptional Sports, or E-Sports.

Since then, her donation target has increased by $1,000. Rasetarinera's goal this year is to donate $8,000 of her pie profit to help kids with special needs through the organization.

She told ABC7 News, orders fulfilled Pi Day 2019 have put her on track to meet that mission.

Rasetarinera explained holidays bring a pretty busy pie baking season, though 3.14 is one of the busiest for business.

"Every time is a good excuse to eat a pie," Rasetarinera said. "It can be math. It can be anything!"

But sure, we'll blame it on the date.

National Pie Day is celebrated January 23rd.