St. Paddy’s dance at Spilstead PAGE 14
Your LOCAL Media since 1918! Volume 105 Issue 29
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Wednesday, March 22, 2023 s
Local student makes it look easy as Pi 11-year-old amazingly remembers first 127 digits for Pi Day Jana Semeniuk Staff Reporter
Tofield School had fun with Pi Day (March 14) this year with a contest where 25 students from grades five to 12 were challenged to see who could recite the most digits of Pi, whose numerical value of 3.14 has an infinite number of digits after the decimal. At last count in 2021 by Swiss researchers at the University of Applied Sciences Graubunden, the total reached 62.8 trillion. Elizabeth Payne, 11, captured first place with 127 digits followed by grade 11 student Gabby Woodruff with 117. Payne said she has always loved math and first became interested in the digits of Pi in grade five. “I didn’t know what it was until my teacher told us about it,” she said. “She gave us a sheet and told us about it the weekend before the week of Pi.” Payne explained how she was able to recall so many of Pi’s numbers. “What I did was, I found
some patterns and broke it into little sections,” she said. “I say them in patterns and now I know them so well I can say them straight without even having to stop. I enjoy learning about Pi. I even downloaded this (Pi) app on my Chromebook and that helps me remember the digits and practice some on there.” When the contest ended, Payne said she didn’t know who won until announcements over the school’s PA system were heard later that day. “There were a lot of people (in the contest) and I thought one of them would know more than me,” she said. “I was in the hallway when the announcement (happened) and I could hear my classroom clapping from down the hall.” Payne said her teachers also clapped for her when she came to collect her firstplace prize; a whole apple pie. “It made me feel happy and proud that I could do it,” she said, adding that she intends to do the contest
11-year old Elizabeth Payne took first place in her school's Pi Day contest after remembering 127 digits of Pi. JANA SEMENIUK PHOTO
again next year with a goal of reaching 150. Meanwhile, Payne’s teachers were astonished at her ability to remember so many numbers. “This is a great accomplishment for Elizabeth,” said teacher Avery Thurston. “I knew a couple of kids who could get to 100, but they're in high school.
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(The last winner we had) made it to 100. But it was very surprising for somebody as young as Elizabeth.” Payne’s teacher, Ashley Netic, was equally as amazed. “It's pretty amazing that an 11-year-old, in the whole school, can memorize 127 digits of Pi,” said Netic,
adding that Elizabeth is a bright student. “She’s been practicing and knows the song and she writes them down. “ Thurston said to further celebrate Pi day, everyone in the school received a piece of pie with the top seven finishers of the Pi day contest taking home a full pie each.