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The Greeks were interested in precise mathematical definitions to describe the world around them. The Greeks were interested in a precise calculation of π. He then took the ratio of 111/106 and multiplied it by the Bible's calculation of three he got 3.1416, which is π correct to four decimal places (Posamentier). When he interpreted line of measure from each of the two passages using a technique called gematria, he got 111 and 106. He discovered that in 1 Kings 7:23 the Hebrew word for line of measure is written differently than it is in 2 Chronicles 4:2. The Bible calculates π to be three, but late-eighteenth century Rabbi Elijah of Vilna discovered that the Bible also calculates π to be 3.1416. Π wasn,t named until three thousand years after the Rhind Papyrus and was just referred to as the quantity which, when the diameter is multiplied by it, yields the circumference (Blatner). The Rhind Papyrus which is from ancient Egypt has π calculated to be 3.1605. The oldest calculations can be traced to the Bible and the Rhind Papyrus. Now with computers π can be calculated to the first six billion digits (Bogart). In 1882 Ferdinand von Lindemann proved that π was a transcendental number (PI). Then in 1761 Johann Lambert proved that π was an irrational number (PI). Then the Greeks were able to get a closer approximation, and Archimedes is credited with the first theoretical approximation of π. This gave π the approximate value of 3 (Pi Day: History of Pi).Įuclid was able to prove the existence of π (Barnes). The Babylonians also calculated the formula for the area of a circle as 3 times the square of the radius. This calculation gave π the approximate value of 3.1605. In the Rhind Papyrus, the Egyptians calculated a formula for the area of a circle. The Babylonians were able to calculate π to be 3.125 (Pi | mathematics). Here you can learn more and see the calculations (Stapel).Īn ancient civilization used 3 to approximate the circumference of a circle (PI). The Bible calculated π to be 3 when it stated,Īnd he made a molten sea, ten cubits from 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. The earliest calculations of π appear in the Bible as approximately 3 and in the Egyptian Rhind Papyrus as approximately 3.16 (O'Connor). π has been calculated by different people throughout history. Π is the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle. History of Pi Pi: History and Background Home Page Semester Project: Pi Significance and Applications of Pi Explanation of the Mathematics of Pi Fun with Pi References The value of π has engaged the attention of many mathematicians and calculators from the time of Archimedes to the present day, and has been computed from so many different formulae, that a complete account of its calculation would almost amount to a history of mathematics.