Another Pi Day Activity

Pi Day Activities: Do or Die by the Digits of Pi

This activity for the gym involves basketball shooting skills and the digits of pi.

Materials needed: 1 basketball per pair or group of students and a printout of the digits of pi (can be posted on wall behind basketball net).

The general premise for the game is the digits of Pi dictate how many chances you get to make a shot.

Variation 1 (This works with a larger number of students since more can use one basketball net at a time.)

Player A starts. Since the first digit is 3, Player A has 3 chances to get make the shot. The instructor can decide where the players need to shoot from.
If A makes the shot within the 3 chances, he/she moves to the back of the line without a consequence.
If Player A misses , he/she moves on to the back of the line after completing a consequence off to the side. The consequence can be push ups, mountain climbers, burpees jumping jacks or sit ups. That is up to the discretion of the instructor.
The consequence is also tied to the digits of pi. Since pi is approximately 3, the players multiply the digit of pi that they missed by 3. For example if the player had 5 chances to get the basekt ball in and they miss, they get 5 x 3 = 15 push ups as a consequence.
Player B gets his/her turn right after Player A regardless of whether or not the basketball goes in. They use the next digit to determine how many chances they get.
The game continues with every player getting their chance based on the digit of pi that corresponds with their turn.

Variation 2 ( This works better with a small number of students.)

Player A starts. Since the first digit is 3, Player A has 3 chances to get make the shot. The instuctor can decide where they take the shot from.
If A makes the shot within the 3 chances, he/she moves on to the next digit.
If Player A misses , it is now the Player B’s turn. Player B takes up where Player A leaves off in terms of the digit.