Pi Day · Worksheet C1
Read the passage and answer the questions. (CEFR B1–B2)
1In November 2025, a team announced that it had calculated pi to 314 trillion digits, a job that took a computer 110 days. Yet engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory use only 15 decimal places when they guide spacecraft across the solar system. According to JPL, even a circle the size of the observable universe would need fewer than 40 digits to be measured to the width of a single atom.
2So why do people keep pushing the record? Part of the answer is practical: a long pi calculation is an extreme stress test for new hardware and software. Part of it is simply human curiosity, the same impulse that drives people to climb mountains or memorize tens of thousands of digits.
3Pi Day itself raises a similar question. Critics say that eating pie and reciting digits teaches very little real mathematics, and that shops use the date mainly for discounts. Supporters reply that a silly holiday can change how students feel about a subject they often fear, and that feeling may matter more than any single fact. In Japan, where March 14 is better known as White Day, teachers face an extra challenge: math has to compete with sweets.
What is the main idea of the passage?
How many decimal places of pi do engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory use to guide spacecraft?
According to the passage, what is one practical reason for calculating pi to many digits?
What does the writer suggest by saying "math has to compete with sweets" in Japan?
In paragraph 2, the word "impulse" in "the same impulse that drives people to climb mountains" is closest in meaning to
Why does the writer mention a circle the size of the observable universe?
Pi Day · Worksheet C2
Match the words with the definitions. Then rewrite and summarize.
1. “Yet engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory use only 15 decimal places when they guide spacecraft across the solar system.”
Hint: Start with "But even NASA" and use "needs only".2. “Part of it is simply human curiosity, the same impulse that drives people to climb mountains or memorize tens of thousands of digits.”
Hint: Start with "People also do it because" and use "just like".3. “Supporters reply that a silly holiday can change how students feel about a subject they often fear, and that feeling may matter more than any single fact.”
Hint: Start with "Other people say" and change "a subject they often fear" to "math".Summarize the passage in about 50 words.
Pi Day · Worksheet C3
Prepare for a debate. Then write your opinion (100–150 words).
Add your own reason:
Add your own reason:
| Opinion | I believe / I think that … |
|---|---|
| Reason 1 | First, … For example, … |
| Reason 2 | Second, … In fact, … |
| Counter | Some people say … However, … |
| Conclusion | In conclusion, … |