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History of Mathematics
 Square Root Day

Square Root Day

A Short Reader

Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   5.05

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    literally, align, fans, celebration, roots, equal, knots, among, calendar, holiday, become, date, beer, include, century, prize
     content words:    Square Root Day, Root Day, Ron Gordon, Scientific American, Another Square Root Day, Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil

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Square Root Day
By Colleen Messina 		  
1     Math fans loved March 3, 2009. It was called Square Root Day. Square Root Day happens only nine times in a century. Square Root Day is not an official holiday. Math lovers celebrate anyway!
 
2     A California high school teacher named Ron Gordon created the day for 9/9/81. According to Scientific American, this day is when "the numbers of the calendar align so that the month and the day are each equal to the square root of the year." March 3, 2009 can be written as 3/3/09. Three times three equals nine. This makes this date a square root day.
 
3     How do people celebrate this day? Some people cut root vegetables into square cross sections. Root vegetables include radishes, carrots, beets, and turnips. These vegetables literally become "square roots." Other people drink root beer out of square glasses. Still others practice tying square knots.

Paragraphs 4 to 5:
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