November 2 is pretty packed in terms of off-beat holidays, so it’s been a bit of a whirlwind for me. However, I had to be sure to celebrate Look for Circles Day. By the time I’d walked to work, which is around a half mile, G and I had counted 277 circles. By the time I made it to my office, after walking past a few dump trucks, I was over 300. And of course we saw all of the same circles on the way home. So I’ve seen my fair share of circles today.
Interestingly, and perhaps tragically, I saw very few circles within my own office. Everything in there, from the computer screen to the pictures on the walls to the furniture, is square. I could count the four wheels on my desk chair, but that was close to it. I guess this just means I’ll do well on Look for Squares Day?
Back to circles. A circle really is a useful shape, and it’s definitely everywhere. Because there isn’t much else to say about my celebration of this holiday beyond listing all of the circles I’ve seen today, here is some trivia about the shape of the day:
- Among all shapes with the same perimeter a circle has the largest area, and among all shapes with the same area the circle has the shortest perimeter
- You can cut a pie into 8 pieces with three movements
- A straight line is a circle with an infinite area
- A circle is the strongest shape; if you add force to one point on a circle, the force will distribute itself across the circle’s perimeter (or, more accurately, across a sphere’s surface)
Thanks to Cut the Knot , WikiAnswers and G for the factoids. I know there are dozens of interesting stories about circles in religions and art, but I’m simply too tired after preparing deviled eggs to look up any more info!
The Holidaze 