Every year on 1 September, first-graders head off to school. Once upon a time, Vasily was a first-grader too. His mum brought him to school. He was dressed in a smart school uniform, and in his hands he held a bouquet that the boy gave to his first teacher.
But the excitement of the 1 September celebration soon gave way to a dislike of school. Vasily didn't enjoy learning. Mathematics was particularly difficult for him.
Study mathematics, son — it's a very important subject.
His mum would say.
It's not important at all. What do I need it for?
Vasily would say.
Mathematics is all around us. Imagine you go to the shop and want to buy a chocolate bar. You need to pay money. But how will you count it without mathematics?
I'll give the money to the shopkeeper and he'll count it himself.
The shopkeeper might cheat you and take more than needed.
Why would he do that?
To keep the money for himself instead of putting it in the till. And when you grow up, you might want to become an accountant, an engineer or a programmer. And you can't do any of those jobs without mathematics.
Vasily thought about what he wanted to be in the future. But while he was in primary school, he still couldn't decide.
In Year 7, Vasily had a new subject at school — technical drawing. The boy fell head over heels for it. He loved making drawings so much. He drew everything he saw. That's when he realised he wanted to become an engineer.
But he still couldn't get on with mathematics. When the class was learning about the number Pi during a lesson, Vasily was busy with his drawings. The teacher told him off for it.
The number Pi is an important constant. Everyone must know it.
The maths teacher would scold.
I personally don't need this value at all. I'm going to be an engineer, and the main thing there is to be able to draw, and I'm very good at that.
Vasily declared.
That evening the boy sat down to do his homework and suddenly something incredible happened. Oh, what a miracle! The number Pi jumped out of the textbook and spoke to Vasily.
So you think you don't need to know me?
The boy was flustered and couldn't say a word.
But every engineer must know me. Don't believe me? Want to check?
Asked the number Pi.
I do.
Answered Vasily.
And then instead of his room, he found himself on a building site. In front of him lay a large sheet of paper and drawing tools. Everyone around called him the chief engineer and waited for him to finish the house drawing. After all, only with a drawing could they start building. And Vasily got to work. But in his work, he didn't do any mathematical calculations or account for any details. Soon the drawing was ready.
The builders got to work. Everyone followed Vasily's drawing. But suddenly the unfinished house collapsed.
So this is an engineer!? What have you drawn for us here?
The builders cursed.
I'm sorry. I don't know why this happened.
Vasily kept saying.
It's a good thing we weren't on the building site when the house collapsed. We could have died. Didn't you account for the ratio of the circumference to its diameter, the number Pi?
Asked the foreman.
The boy just blushed in response.
I don't know anything about this value.
Vasily answered, still blushing.
What!? That's important. What kind of engineer are you then?
All the workers laughed at him.
Vasily ran away. He huddled in a corner and started to cry. He cried for a long time, and when he was completely exhausted, he fell into a deep sleep.
When Vasily woke up and rubbed his sleepy and red eyes, he found himself back at home, and the number Pi was standing in front of him.
Forgive me, I never thought you were such an important value. I understand now. From now on, I'll approach my studies responsibly.
Vasily started to study more diligently. He grew up, and his dream came true: he became a famous engineer. In his work, he always accounted for all the calculations and never forgot about the number Pi. On his desk, next to photos of his children, was a small figurine in the shape of the Greek letter Pi, symbolising the famous number PI. And all the construction work carried out according to Vasily's drawings always ended successfully.
Now Vasily himself earnestly advised the younger generation to learn all the constant values. After all, you never know in which field you'll need to apply your knowledge, so it's essential to study, study and study again.
