{"id":4576,"date":"2026-05-04T01:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T05:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/?p=4576"},"modified":"2026-05-04T12:16:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T16:16:08","slug":"math-digests-march-april-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/math-digests-march-april-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Math Digests March &amp; April 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: left\">March &amp; April digests:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#1\">Using bracket scores to recreate March Madness, from <i>Scientific American<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#2\">A book about big, big, big numbers, reviewed in <i>Science News<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#3\">The mathematics of coffee, in <i>Popular Science<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#4\">When circling a track, how spread out do runners get? In <i>Quanta Magazine<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#5\">Pi Day! on <i>NBC Boston<\/i><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/the-math-of-march-madness-brackets\/\">The math of March Madness brackets<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><em>Scientific American<\/em>, March 19, 2026<\/p>\n<p>Predicting the outcomes of every game in college basketball\u2019s March Madness tournament is virtually impossible. With 64 teams and 63 games, there are about 9 quintillion distinct possibilities. That\u2019s why most people\u2019s brackets\u2014predictions of the outcome of each March Madness game\u2014score less than perfectly. Mathematician Sam Spiro wants to know: Can I reconstruct the tournament from a collection of imperfect brackets and their scores? In an article for <em>Scientific American<\/em>, writer Emma Hasson explains what the mathematician found.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Classroom Activities:<\/strong><em> probability, combinatorics<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ul>\n<li>(Mid-level) Suppose that three of your friends create brackets for a four-team tournament. Based on their brackets and scores, what was the outcome of the matches?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4581\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4581\" style=\"width: 1398px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4581 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-1-1.png?resize=1380%2C681&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Semifinals are worth 1 point, and championship is worth 5 points.Friend 1's bracket: In semifinals, Team A wins against Team B, and Team C wins against Team D. In championship, Team A wins against Team C. Score: 6 points. Friend 2's bracket: In semifinals, Team B wins against Team A and Team C wins against Team D. In championship, Team C wins against Team B. Score: 0. Friend 3's bracket: In semifinals, Team A wins against Team B and Team D wins against Team C. In championship, Team D wins against Team A. Score: 2 points.\" width=\"1380\" height=\"681\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-1-1.png?w=1398&amp;ssl=1 1398w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-1-1.png?resize=300%2C148&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-1-1.png?resize=1024%2C505&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-1-1.png?resize=768%2C379&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-1-1.png?resize=465%2C230&amp;ssl=1 465w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-1-1.png?resize=695%2C343&amp;ssl=1 695w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1380px) 100vw, 1380px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4581\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drawn in Google docs by Max Levy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>(Mid-level) Repeat this exercise with 8 teams and 7 matches. Based on their brackets and scores, what was the outcome of the three matches?\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_4579\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4579\" style=\"width: 1686px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4579 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-2.png?resize=1380%2C1007&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Quarterfinals are worth 1 point each. Semifinals are worth 2 points each. Championship is worth 4 points.Quarterfinals games are: T1 vs. T2, T3 vs. T4, T5 vs. T6, T7 vs. T8. Friend A's bracket: Quarterfinal winners are T1, T4, T5, T7. Seminals: T1 wins against T4, T7 wins against T5. Champion: T1. 9 points. Friend B's bracket: Quarterfinal winners are T1, T3, T6, T8. Semifinals: T1 wins against T3. T6 wins against T8. Champion is T1. 8 points. Friend C's bracket: Quarterfinal winners are T1, T4, T5, T7. Semifinals: T4 wins against T1, and T7 wins against T5. Champion is T4. 5 points. Friend D's bracket: Quarterfinal winners are T2, T4, T6, T7. Semifinals: T4 wins against T2, and T7 wins against T6. Champion is T4. 3 points.\" width=\"1380\" height=\"1007\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-2.png?w=1686&amp;ssl=1 1686w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-2.png?resize=300%2C219&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-2.png?resize=1024%2C747&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-2.png?resize=768%2C560&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-2.png?resize=1536%2C1121&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-2.png?resize=465%2C339&amp;ssl=1 465w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Bracket-2.png?resize=685%2C500&amp;ssl=1 685w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1380px) 100vw, 1380px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4579\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drawn in Google docs by Max Levy.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><em>\u2014Max Levy<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencenews.org\/article\/huge-numbers-book-math-googology\">Huge Numbers tackles mathematics at its most incomprehensibly large<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><em>Science News<\/em>, April 3, 2026<\/p>\n<p>For <em>Science News<\/em>, Emily Conover reviews a book about big numbers in math, science, and modern life. The book is (appropriately) titled \u201cHuge Numbers\u201d and written by Richard Elwes, a mathematician at the University of Leeds. \u201cThe patient reader willing to stick with Elwes will be rewarded with a new appreciation for numbers and a vastly expanded frame of reference for what it means to be truly, unfathomably, large,\u201d Conover writes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Classroom Activities: <\/strong><em>integers, numbers, exponentiation<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>(All levels) Read the article and answer the following questions.\n<ul>\n<li>What is scientific notation? Why is it useful?<\/li>\n<li>Why does Elwes say that \u201csmall numbers are the exceptions; big numbers are the rule\u201d?<\/li>\n<li>What do you think of Elwes\u2019 statement? When does it apply?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>(Mid-level) Convert the following numbers <strong>into<\/strong> scientific notation:\n<ul>\n<li>2,000<\/li>\n<li>four hundred<\/li>\n<li>one trillion<\/li>\n<li>one googol<\/li>\n<li>two googolplex<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>(Mid-level) Convert the following numbers <strong>out of<\/strong> scientific notation:\n<ul>\n<li>$4 \\times 10^4$<\/li>\n<li>$4.6 \\times 10^2$<\/li>\n<li>$3 \\uparrow \\uparrow 2$<\/li>\n<li>$3 \\uparrow \\uparrow 3$<\/li>\n<li>$2 \\uparrow \\uparrow 4$<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>(Mid-level) Calculate the following:\n<ul>\n<li>$(3 \\uparrow \\uparrow 2) \\div 3^2$<\/li>\n<li>$(2 \\uparrow \\uparrow 4) \\div 2^4$<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><em>\u2014Leila Sloman<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.popsci.com\/science\/best-espresso-science\/\">Mathematicians figured out the perfect espresso<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><em>Popular Science<\/em>, April 6, 2026<\/p>\n<p>You probably know, roughly, how brewing coffee works: Water percolates through a bed, or \u201cpuck,\u201d of coffee grounds, picking up flavor and caffeine along the way. But did you know that there\u2019s an active area of mathematical research called percolation theory? In this article for <em>Popular Science<\/em>, Andrew Paul covers a new paper that simulated 22 different coffee brews. In each case, the authors calculated how easy it was for water to pass through the coffee grounds. The easier it is, the weaker the coffee. \u201cThe short answer is that it\u2019s all about puck size,\u201d Paul writes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Classroom Activities:<\/strong><em> graph theory, percolation, geometry<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>(All levels) Mathematicians model a <strong>percolation system <\/strong>as a network made up of nodes and links. Here are some simplified examples:\n<figure id=\"attachment_4583\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4583\" style=\"width: 1024px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4583 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Percolations-Trees-Mar-Apr-digests.png?resize=1024%2C537&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Left: Tree with START node at the root, and END node two layers down. Right: Tree with END node at the root, and START node five layers down.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"537\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Percolations-Trees-Mar-Apr-digests.png?resize=1024%2C537&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Percolations-Trees-Mar-Apr-digests.png?resize=300%2C157&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Percolations-Trees-Mar-Apr-digests.png?resize=768%2C402&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Percolations-Trees-Mar-Apr-digests.png?resize=465%2C244&amp;ssl=1 465w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Percolations-Trees-Mar-Apr-digests.png?resize=695%2C364&amp;ssl=1 695w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Percolations-Trees-Mar-Apr-digests.png?w=1496&amp;ssl=1 1496w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4583\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drawn in TikZ by Leila Sloman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4584\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4584\" style=\"width: 872px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4584 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Percolation-Graph-Mar-Apr-digests.png?resize=872%2C712&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Connected graph with START node at top and END node at bottom.\" width=\"872\" height=\"712\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Percolation-Graph-Mar-Apr-digests.png?w=872&amp;ssl=1 872w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Percolation-Graph-Mar-Apr-digests.png?resize=300%2C245&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Percolation-Graph-Mar-Apr-digests.png?resize=768%2C627&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Percolation-Graph-Mar-Apr-digests.png?resize=465%2C380&amp;ssl=1 465w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/05\/Percolation-Graph-Mar-Apr-digests.png?resize=612%2C500&amp;ssl=1 612w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 872px) 100vw, 872px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4584\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Drawn in TikZ by Leila Sloman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li>Let\u2019s say our system is <strong>permeable<\/strong> if you can find a path, made up of links between nodes, that reaches from the node labeled \u201cSTART\u201d to the node labeled \u201cEND\u201d. Which of the percolation systems above are permeable?<\/li>\n<li>What if you can only move downwards, not upwards, along the path?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>(Mid-level) Describe how the percolation system might represent brewing coffee. What do the nodes represent? What do the links represent?\n<ul>\n<li>As a class, come up with a definition for permeability through a coffee puck. How does permeability change if the coffee is (a) packed more tightly? (b) ground more coarsely? Describe how these changes would affect the number of nodes and\/or links in the mathematical system.<\/li>\n<li>Based on the article, does low, high, or zero permeability make the strongest coffee? Justify your answer.<\/li>\n<li>Which network above do you think corresponds to the strongest cup of coffee?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>(High level) In the paper, the authors give a simple equation for measuring permeability $k$: $$k = \\frac{\\phi^3}{5s^2V},$$ where $\\phi$ is the volume of empty space within the coffee puck, $s$ is the surface area of the coffee grounds, and $V$ is the volume of the coffee puck.\n<ul>\n<li>Model coffee brewing with a glass of ping-pong balls, where the balls represent the coffee grounds. Calculate the permeability of your model.<\/li>\n<li>Draw the percolation network that represents your model. Do you notice anything interesting?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><em>\u2014Leila Sloman<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quantamagazine.org\/new-strides-made-on-deceptively-simple-lonely-runner-problem-20260306\/\">New Strides Made on Deceptively Simple \u2018Lonely Runner\u2019 Problem | Quanta Magazine<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><em>Quanta Magazine<\/em>, March 6, 2026<\/p>\n<p>Imagine $N$ runners circling a mile-long track, with each runner moving at a different speed. According to the \u201clonely runner\u201d conjecture, no matter what the runners\u2019 speeds are, the group spreads out over time: Each runner will at some point be $1\/N$ miles away from anyone else. This simple question relates to number theory, geometry, and network organization. &#8220;For just two or three runners, the conjecture\u2019s proof is elementary,&#8221; writes Paulina Rowi\u0144ska in this <em>Quanta Magazine<\/em> article. After decades of being stuck at seven runners, mathematicians recently settled the problem for up to ten.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Classroom Activities:<\/strong><em> rates, geometry<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>(All levels) An analog clock is an example of the lonely runner problem with three runners\u2014the second hand, minute hand, and hour hand.\n<ul>\n<li>Suppose the circumference of the clock is <strong>1 foot<\/strong>. Write down the unique speed of each \u201crunner\u201d in feet\/s.<\/li>\n<li>What distance between runners would count as \u201cfar\u201d according to the conjecture?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>(Mid-level) Give an example of times (hour:minute:second) that satisfy the conjecture for each of the following situations.\n<ul>\n<li>Only the \u201chour\u201d runner is far from the pack<\/li>\n<li>Only the \u201cminute\u201d runner is far from the pack<\/li>\n<li>Only the \u201csecond\u201d runner is far from the pack<\/li>\n<li>Every runner is far from the pack<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>(High level) Now imagine a clock with hands that move at more similar speeds: Hand 1 takes 60 seconds to go around, Hand 2 takes 55 seconds, and Hand 3 takes 50 seconds.\n<ul>\n<li>If all the hands begin at the same point, which two runners will be furthest apart after 60 seconds?<\/li>\n<li>What is that distance, and is it \u201cfar\u201d according to the conjecture?<\/li>\n<li>How long will it take for one runner to be $1\/N$ distance from the rest?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><em>\u2014Max Levy<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><a id=\"5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcboston.com\/news\/national-international\/pi-day-2026-things-to-know\/3914878\/\">What to know about National Pi Day 2026<\/a><\/h3>\n<p><em>NBC Boston<\/em>, March 12, 2026<\/p>\n<p>Around 250 B.C.E., Greek mathematician Archimedes closed in on the true value of $\\pi$. Archimedes sought the ratio between a circle\u2019s circumference and its diameter. He first inscribed hexagons inside and just outside a circle. The hexagons\u2019 perimeters suggested upper and lower limits for the circle\u2019s perimeter. He gradually refined this estimate using polygons with more sides. The process led him to conclude that all circles share a common circumference-to-diameter ratio of somewhere between $3 \\frac{1}{7}$ and $3 \\frac{10}{71}$. This article from <em>NBC10 Boston<\/em> shares more facts about $\\pi$.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Classroom Activities:<\/strong><em> pi<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>(All levels) Have a class-wide competition for who can accurately recite the most digits of $\\pi$.<\/li>\n<li>(Mid-level) Work on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nctm.org\/Classroom-Resources\/Problems-(Brain-Teasers)\/Estimate-Pi\/\">this brain tease<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nctm.org\/Classroom-Resources\/Problems-(Brain-Teasers)\/Estimate-Pi\/\">r<\/a> from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.<\/li>\n<li>(High level) Practice converting between degrees and radians with this \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nctm.org\/Classroom-Resources\/Illuminations\/Interactives\/Pi-Fight\/\">Pi fight\u201d game<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>(All levels) See this <a href=\"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/math-digests-march-2024\/\">March 2024 Digest<\/a> for more activity ideas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><em>\u2014Max Levy<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>More of this month\u2019s math headlines:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/how-a-renaissance-gambling-dispute-spawned-probability-theory\/\">How a Renaissance gambling dispute spawned probability theory<\/a><br \/>\n<em>Scientific American<\/em>, April 19, 2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newscientist.com\/video\/2523033-james-maynard-uncovering-the-secrets-of-prime-numbers\/\">James Maynard: uncovering the secrets of prime numbers<\/a><br \/>\n<em>New Scientist<\/em>, April 16, 2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/what-is-the-chance-of-a-message-in-a-bottle-being-found-272122\">What is the chance of a message in a bottle being found?<\/a><br \/>\n<em>The Conversation<\/em>, April 13, 2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/04\/11\/us\/david-sklansky-dead.html\">David Sklansky, the \u2018First Nerd to Enter Poker,\u2019 Dies at 78<\/a><br \/>\n<em>The New York Times<\/em>, April 11, 2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/teaching-learning\/opinion-math-needs-its-science-of-reading-moment\/2026\/04\">Math Needs Its \u2018Science of Reading\u2019 Moment<\/a><br \/>\n<em>Education Week<\/em>, April 3, 2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge-news.co.uk\/news\/motors\/strange-scientific-truth-behind-traffic-33646177\">Strange scientific truth behind traffic jams that seemingly have no cause<\/a><br \/>\n<em>Cambridgeshire Live<\/em>, March 23, 2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/pi-day-celebrates-science-math-549286e6ea0a093cbc75f3b17fdc150f\">From rockets to cancer research, here\u2019s how the number pi is embedded in our lives<\/a><br \/>\n<em>AP News<\/em>, March 14, 2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livescience.com\/physics-mathematics\/mathematics\/pi-has-been-calculated-to-trillions-of-digits-is-that-completely-irrational\">Pi has been calculated to trillions of digits \u2014 is that completely irrational?<\/a><br \/>\n<em>Live Science<\/em>, March 14, 2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justbaseball.com\/mlb\/mathematical-case-top-prospects-make-opening-day-roster\/\">A Mathematical Case For a Top Prospect to Break Camp<\/a><br \/>\n<em>Just Baseball<\/em>, March 5, 2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-026-00299-0\">How a mathematician is cracking open Mexico\u2019s powerful drug cartels<\/a><br \/>\n<em>Nature News<\/em>, March 4, 2026<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>March &amp; April digests: Using bracket scores to recreate March Madness, from Scientific American A book about big, big, big numbers, reviewed in Science News The mathematics of coffee, in Popular Science When circling a track, how spread out do runners get? In Quanta Magazine Pi Day! on NBC Boston<span class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/math-digests-march-april-2026\/\">Read More &rarr;<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[100,538,35,105,149,537,147,65,73,285],"class_list":["entry","author-leilasloman","post-4576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-math-in-the-media-digests","tag-combinatorics","tag-exponentiation","tag-geometry","tag-graph-theory","tag-integers","tag-numbers","tag-percolation","tag-pi","tag-probability","tag-rates"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4576"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4588,"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4576\/revisions\/4588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mathvoices.ams.org\/mathmedia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}