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by singwell-is off researching a lot on February 16th, 2007
Wikipedia: The mathematical constant π is an irrational real number, approximately equal to 3.14159, which is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter in Euclidean geometry.
Pi is special because , no matter how many decimal places you take it to, it never repeats a number or a sequence of numbers.
The numerical value of π truncated to 500 decimal places is:
3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286
208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844609550582231725359408128481 117450284102701938521105559644622948954930381964428810975665933446128475648233 786783165271201909145648566923460348610454326648213393607260249141273724587006 606315588174881520920962829254091715364367892590360011330530548820466521384146 951941511609433057270365759591953092186117381932611793105118548074462379962749 56735188575272489122793818301194912
The value of π has been known in some form since antiquity. As early as the 19th century BC, Babylonian mathematicians were using π = 25⁄8, which is within 0.5% of the true value.
The Egyptian scribe Ahmes wrote the oldest known text to give an approximate value for π, citing a Middle Kingdom papyrus, corresponding to a value of 256 divided by 81 or 3.160.
It is sometimes claimed that the Bible states that π = 3, based on a passage in 1 Kings 7:23 giving measurements for a round basin as having a 10 cubit diameter and a 30 cubit circumference. Rabbi Nehemiah explained this by the diameter being measured from outside rim to outside rim while the circumference was the inner brim; but it may suffice that the measurements are given in round numbers.
Principle of Archimedes' method to approximate πArchimedes of Syracuse discovered, by considering the perimeters of 96-sided polygons inscribing a circle and inscribed by it, that π is between 223⁄71 and 22⁄7. The average of these two values is roughly 3.1419.
The Chinese mathematician Liu Hui computed π to 3.141014 in AD 263 and suggested that 3.14 was a good approximation
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Comments
Very comprehensive answer! :)
by Anonymous on February 16th, 2007
The bible even mentions it? cool.
by Anonymous on February 17th, 2007
apparently, it can be inferred from the information given in the passage, 1 Kings 7:23 7:23 "And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about." This shows that they understood that pi was 3, not the most accurate by today's standards, but not too bad, considering this was 10 centuries BC.
I just found this site: looks interesting.
http://www.apocalipsis.org/difficulties/pi.htm
by singwell-is off researching a lot on February 17th, 2007
Brilliant answer, the only thing I would add is that Pi is the equivalent of 180 degrees in radians. Radians are a unit of angle such that the length of the arc of a 1 radian segment is equal to it's radius. So if you had a cake (I avoided saying pie) and cut a piece so that the lengths of all its sides (including the curved out, measured along the curve) were equal, the angle in the middle would be equal to one radian. Pi radians is equal to 180 degrees, which is why it is the ratio of circumference to diameter.
by The Music Roob Ninja on November 30th, 2008