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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 224 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 224

     Supporting the designation of Pi Day, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 9, 2009

Mr. Gordon of Tennessee (for himself, Mr. Hall of Texas, Mr. Lipinski, 
 and Mr. Baird) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
               to the Committee on Science and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
     Supporting the designation of Pi Day, and for other purposes.

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 continue infinitely 
        without repeating, and has been calculated to over one trillion digits;
Whereas Pi is a recurring constant that has been studied throughout history and 
        is central in mathematics as well as science and engineering;
Whereas mathematics and science are a critical part of our children's education, 
        and children who perform better in math and science have higher 
        graduation and college attendance rates;
Whereas aptitude in mathematics, science, and engineering is essential for a 
        knowledge-based society;
Whereas, according to the 2007 Trends in International Mathematics and Science 
        Study (TIMSS) survey done by the National Center for Education 
        Statistics, American children in the 4th and 8th grade were outperformed 
        by students in other countries including Taiwan, Singapore, Russia, 
        England, South Korea, Latvia, and Japan;
Whereas since 1995 the United States has shown only minimal improvement in math 
        and science test scores;
Whereas by the 8th grade, American males outperform females on the science 
        portion of the TIMSS survey, especially in Biology, Physics, and Earth 
        Science, and the lowest American scores in math and science are found in 
        minority and impoverished school districts;
Whereas America needs to reinforce mathematics and science education for all 
        students in order to better prepare our children for the future and in 
        order to compete 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 59 years ago;
Whereas mathematics and science can be a fun and interesting 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, 2009, is an 
        appropriate day for ``National Pi Day'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of a ``Pi Day'' and its 
        celebration around the world;
            (2) recognizes the continuing importance of National 
        Science Foundation's math and science education programs; and
            (3) encourages schools and educators to observe the day 
        with appropriate activities that teach students about Pi and 
        engage them about the study of mathematics.
                                 <all>
```