On Tuesday, 3 March 2026, at precisely 3:14 p.m., TU Delft's Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) set a national record with the largest human π symbol in the Netherlands. With 550 participants, students, staff, alumni, and other interested parties jointly formed the iconic mathematical symbol on the football field at location X on the campus in Delft.
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The record attempt was a festive warm-up for Pi Day (14 March) and was entirely devoted to mathematics as the foundation of technology and innovation. Dressed in TU Delft blue, the participants created an impressive image, which was captured by drone to officially confirm the record. The record attempt was also organised in honour of Professor Kees Vuik, head of the mathematics department at TU Delft and, as a scientist in the field of numerical mathematics, a big pi fan.
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For EEMCS, π symbolises the core of the faculty's work: mathematics as a universal language that connects technology, science, and society. The number pi – seemingly simple, yet infinite and complex – reflects the nature of the issues that researchers and students work on every day.
Following the record attempt, Dr. Hanne Kekkonen from the Statistics Group gave a Pi lecture, in which she took the audience on a journey through the power and relevance of the number pi in science and society.
With this successful record attempt, TU Delft shows that science not only forms the basis for technological breakthroughs, but also connects, inspires, and offers room for fun.