Pi Day Sours Brazil As Real Drops Past 3.14 USD [Twitter Reactions]

Pi Day is a pie in the face for Brazil’s failing currency this week, as it’s value slid below π (3.14) to the U.S. dollar (USD). The Brazilian Real (BRL) hit an 12-year low sliding as low as BRL 3.21 on Friday morning. After weathering the global financial crisis that cripples other countries, Brazil’s economy is starting to slide into a recession. Recent bribery scandals involving President Dilma Rousseff's Workers Party and the nationalized oil company, Petrobras, have exacerbated the economic slowdown. Now, the currency is dropping, meaning higher prices on foreign goods.

But Brazilians on Twitter didn’t miss the chance to make a joke.

“Mathematical Proof: -What is the value of pi (π)? - 1 dollar,” said Beatriz Bonas, 25, a graphic designer from São Paulo, in a tweet.

Coupled with a strong U.S. dollar, the Real’s drop means less buying power for Brazilians.

“10,000 dollars for the luxury Apple Watch [...] just multiply it by π and you’ve got the price here in Brazil,” said Henrique Gonçalves, 32, an administrator from Recife, in a tweet. That's R$31,415.92, for those of you studying your pi digits. Of course Gonçalves’ math only works if he ignores the exorbitant Brazilian import taxes. In reality, Brazil's weak currency is hurting them on top of existing import taxes.

Apple products tend to double in price, thanks to Brazil’s high tariffs. When Apple released the iPhone 5, it cost $649 in the U.S. and a whopping $1,174 in Brazil. Intended to stimulate Brazilian industry, tariffs have succeeded in some areas. For example, they’ve encouraged foreign car and appliance companies to open factories in Brazil, creating jobs. The measures have had less success with electronics tariffs. Manufacturers like Apple would rather sell products for double the price then move a factory from Shenzhen to São Paulo. The currency slide will have one silver lining, however: Brazilian exports like sugar should start strong, as countries with stronger currencies look to import more.

Fun Facts About Brazil Ahead of Pi Day

• Pi day will be celebrated on 3/14, even though Brazilians write the date as 14/3.
• There won’t be pies... that’s an English-only pun. But if you’re looking to make a Portuguese pun on Twitter tomorrow, know that π is pronounce “pee,” the onomatopoeia for the sound that birds make.

Twitter Reactions, Redux

"Tomorrow is pi day. And the dollar will close higher than pi today. That's totally skrewed."

“Mathematical Proof: -What is the value of pi (π)? - 1 dollar #dollar #economy #mathmatics #brazil.”

"In just a bit USD = πBRL."

“10,000 dollars for the luxury Apple Watch [...] just multiply it by π and you’ve got the price here in Brazil.”