By Abigail Wall
Whether you are finding the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter or just want a nice slice of pie, national Pi Day is a great time to celebrate all things math and sweets.
National Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 because three, one and four are the first numbers of the mathematical constant. Even if you are not a math enthusiast, Pi Day is a great excuse to eat pie and watch a movie with a friend.
Here are five films to watch to celebrate Pi Day:
1. Hidden Figures
Janelle Monáe, Taraji P. Henson, and Octavia Spencer as NASA pioneers Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Dorothy Vaughan in the 2016 film Hidden Figures. Photo credit: 20th Century Studios
“Hidden Figures” follows the true story of mathematicians Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. Three Black women who became the brains behind NASA’s space program in the 1960s. These women became pioneers at NASA which was a white male-dominated field at the time. This movie is the perfect inspirational math movie to celebrate Pi Day.
2. Gifted
Mckenna Grace portrays math prodigy Mary Adler as she tries to solve a college-level equation on the board. Photo credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Mckenna Grace stars as a young mathematical prodigy who gets stuck in a custody battle after he mother dies. She is stuck between her grandmother who wants her to devote her life to math and her uncle who wants her to have a normal childhood. This heartwarming film is all about parenting and the troubles of childhood. It also features the Navier-Stokes problem, one of the seven millennium problems that are some of the hardest equations that have yet to be solved.
3. Pi
Sean Gullette plays disturbed number theorist Max Cohen who suffers from paranoia from his obsession with finding numerical patterns in everyday life. Photo credit: IMDb 
If you are looking for a psychological horror to enjoy Pi Day, the 1998 movie “Pi” is perfect. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, the film is about mathematician Max Cohen who is obsessed with the idea that mathematics is the language of the universe. His obsession leads to extreme paranoia and hallucinations of numbers and patterns. This film truly shows how scary math can be.
4. Good Will Hunting
Robin Williams plays therapist Sean Maguire sitting next to Will Hunting, a college janitor who is a math genius played by Matt Damon. Photo credit: IMDb 
Robin Williams plays a therapist who helps a young janitor named Will Hunting played by Matt Damon who works at the Massachusetts Institute of technology. Hunting was caught solving equations that the math professor left on the chalkboard. “Good Will Hunting” won two Academy Awards for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Williams. This is a great film if you are looking for a heartfelt drama to watch while eating pie.
5. Mean Girls
Lindsay Lohan plays homeschooled girl Cady Heron as she tackles life at her new school as she becomes a part of the infamous group dubbed "the plastics." Photo credit: Paramount pictures
This comedy follows homeschooled student Cady Heron who had lived in Africa her whole life with her zoologist parents. Her parents decide to move back to the United States and Heron starts her first day of high school. Heron joins the group called “the plastics” who are the most popular girls in school, with help from her friends Janis and Damien they plan to take them down. Heron is gifted at math and wants to be a mathematician. She wants to join the school’s mathletes, but is told not to because being a mathlete is considered “social suicide.” Heron later decides not to listen to her friends and joins the mathletes to help them win the state championship. The movie is all about friendship, being yourself and remembering that your limit does not exist.
