Bridge Firm Recovery - March 2020

Bridge Firm Recovery - March 2020

Recovery Reader The March 2020

www.bridgefirmrecovery.com (269) 359-0814

FROM THE DESK OF Dan Larson

EXPLORING BUSINESS WITH PI ( Π )

As my children were growing up, my son (the math guy) would always be excited about March 14 each year.

He would rattle off so many digits of pi, sing The Pi Song, and of course, we had to have pizza on pi day. We talk of how everything comes full circle: first growing the pie, then having a slice of the pie, right? So it is in our businesses, too. We grow the pie, then get larger slices of the pie. We market our businesses, increase sales and receivables, and of course, get paid — it’s a circle. Several years ago, a quickly growing landlord exclaimed how excited he was about the many properties he had purchased and rented. However, one month, many of his tenants were VERY late on their rent, and HE had issues meeting all the mortgage commitments! One payment was “easy,” but 12 were not. Growing that pie also meant growing his receivable management. Luckily, we helped him correct those stray “digits” and keep his circle intact. We often talk of growing the pie. No matter how the business grows, the ratio will always be pi. That one late receivable or rent payment might seem minor right now, but in the pi of things, it is important to manage each digital ($) slice. If slices of your pi are losing digits, give me a call. We can calculate recovery and help keep your pi intact. And in that circle, there are infinite digits of opportunity and options.

HAVE YOUR PI AND EAT IT, TOO! Spend Time With Your Family on International Pi Day For thousands of years, pi (π) has been a source of inspiration and mystery. On March 14, International Pi Day, you can share that inspiration with your family! This holiday is often overlooked, but it’s actually a fantastic educational opportunity. Here are some fun ways to engage your kids’mathematical and creative curiosities.

SOLVING THE UNSOLVABLE

Pi is a constant number, meaning it continues for infinity — or does it?

That’s the question. Nobody has ever calculated the exact ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter; we just get new approximations. Your child might ask why we can’t find the answer with computers or your smartphone, but a Japanese mathematician used technology to help solve the mystery. In 600 hours and by using a HITACHI SR8000/MPP supercomputer, Yasumasa Kanada has revealed nearly 1.2411 trillion digits of pi, but the number still remains unresolved. For many, pi is a symbol for an essential truth: There are some things we can only get closer to knowing. Your child might be intrigued by the idea that every circle they’ve ever seen has an unsolvable mystery.

SEEING PI

Math affects the real world and how we define it. There’s no better way to show this than with pi! Take a piece of string and measure the diameter of a circular object with your child. Use that length and multiply it by 3.14. If your child is old enough, they can do the math themselves. With the results, measure out a new thread of string, and place it in a circle around the object - Dan Larson

Have a great month and maybe an apple pie!

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you measured before. It should fit the circumference almost perfectly! Seeing how math concepts operate can help your child realize how tangible math really is and become less intimidated by it.

EXERCISING MEMORY WITH PI

You also might want to try teaching your kids the numbers of pi with “The Pi Song” on YouTube! Your child might even surprise themselves. One hundred digits of pi are included in the song, and it’s quite memorable, so you can see how many digits they can remember! It’s great practice for future quizzes at school about pi. Plus, rewarding them with circular treats like cookies or pie will make the activity even more fun. Baking makes any holiday more fun, but on Pi Day, it can even be educational. Bake a pie or pizza with your children to teach them the steps of baking, but emphasize the mystery of pi while you do it. No matter how big you make the pie or pizza, the ratio of the circumference to diameter will always be pi. Baking with your child has other benefits, as well! Cooking and eating, especially with loved ones, tend to create the most powerful memories because they evoke almost every function of our hippocampus, which is the part of our brain that specializes in our emotions, memories, and EXPLORING PI WITH PIE

the hormones that regulate appetite, digestion, and eating behavior. By spending time with your children in the kitchen for Pi Day, you might not only be influencing their mathematical and creative curiosity but also giving them long-term positive memories associated with that activity. If you ever feel particularly festive about National Pi Day, Amazon carries actual pi-shaped (as in the symbol π) baking pans and pizza slicers that might amuse your kids. If you get creative, you can spend Pi Day with your family in many ways and enjoy all of its mysteries, fun, and even a slice of pie.

BREAKING DOWN FACEBOOK What Is ‘Decentralization’ and How Will It Change Social Media?

makes falsified information and propaganda infamously easy to pass around. This anarchy also makes it much easier to conceal illegal activity. In an age where identity theft, financial fraud, and selling user information are more digital than ever, it’s important that users and businesses alike have full confidence in the security of their online pages where clients interact with them— especially if information, goods, or services are exchanged. A decentralized system could split the massive, unregulated wilderness of Facebook and Twitter into user-managed“neighborhoods.” Rather than relying on one centralized server that holds over 2.45 billion users, businesses and individuals could host their information on their own computer. This would give businesses and individuals much greater control over their information and how they share it.

Nowadays, getting locked out of your Facebook account often means losing access to your Spotify, Tinder, or any of the other sites you can sign into through Facebook. The amount of personal >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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