10X Pi Day Rule For 2014 1 
Pi Day Rule—Short Form // 2014 Version // Roman L. Weil // Revised 26-Sep-2014
Maybe the most useful, not to say most important, thing you can learn from me this term is the Pi Day Rule1 for mental calendar calculations. I use it almost every day. Moreover, I can use the exercises for the first class to introduce you to an aspect of this course that you will otherwise learn by surprise on exams, which is later than ideal. Using the Pi Day rule, you can solve in your head questions such as:
What day of the week is Christmas this year?
What date is Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday in November?
Pi Day is, by definition, the day of the week of March 14, which we sometimes abbreviate 3.14, which explains the name. In 2014 Pi Day is Friday, as March 14, 2014, is a Friday. In 2015 Pi Day will be Saturday, as March 14, 2015, is a Saturday.
Rule: The following days are all the same day of the week as Pi Day [all Fridays in 2014, all Saturdays in 2015]--4/4, 6/6, 8/8, 10/10, 12/12.
So, 12/12/14 is a Friday; so is 12/19/2014 and 12/26/2014. Christmas will be on Thursday in 2014, as 12/25 is one day before 12/26. Every year, Xmas falls on the day of the week before Pi Day for that year.
More Rule: The following days are all the same day of the week as Pi Day: 7/11 11/7, 9/5 and 5/9. Think, "He works from 9 to 5 at the 7/11." The last day of February is a Pi Day, whether that last day is February 28 or 29.
So, 11/7 is Pi Day, Friday in 2014; so the following are Fridays in 2014: 11/14, 11/21, 11/28. The fourth Thursday, Thanksgiving, must be 11/27.
To use the Pi Day tricks is easier than to explain them. Practice. Be prepared to answer questions like the two in the second paragraph above.
This link will tell you all there is to know about all the subtleties of the rule: http://rudy.ca/doomsday.html You will note that the above description from me omits hints for January. A January trick: Instead of associating January with the new year, associate it
Maybe the most useful, not to say most important, thing you can learn from me this term is the Pi Day Rule1 for mental calendar calculations. I use it almost every day. Moreover, I can use the exercises for the first class to introduce you to an aspect of this course that you will otherwise learn by surprise on exams, which is later than ideal. Using the Pi Day rule, you can solve in your head questions such as:
What day of the week is Christmas this year?
What date is Thanksgiving, the fourth Thursday in November?
Pi Day is, by definition, the day of the week of March 14, which we sometimes abbreviate 3.14, which explains the name. In 2014 Pi Day is Friday, as March 14, 2014, is a Friday. In 2015 Pi Day will be Saturday, as March 14, 2015, is a Saturday.
Rule: The following days are all the same day of the week as Pi Day [all Fridays in 2014, all Saturdays in 2015]--4/4, 6/6, 8/8, 10/10, 12/12.
So, 12/12/14 is a Friday; so is 12/19/2014 and 12/26/2014. Christmas will be on Thursday in 2014, as 12/25 is one day before 12/26. Every year, Xmas falls on the day of the week before Pi Day for that year.
More Rule: The following days are all the same day of the week as Pi Day: 7/11 11/7, 9/5 and 5/9. Think, "He works from 9 to 5 at the 7/11." The last day of February is a Pi Day, whether that last day is February 28 or 29.
So, 11/7 is Pi Day, Friday in 2014; so the following are Fridays in 2014: 11/14, 11/21, 11/28. The fourth Thursday, Thanksgiving, must be 11/27.
To use the Pi Day tricks is easier than to explain them. Practice. Be prepared to answer questions like the two in the second paragraph above.
This link will tell you all there is to know about all the subtleties of the rule: http://rudy.ca/doomsday.html You will note that the above description from me omits hints for January. A January trick: Instead of associating January with the new year, associate it