preview

Mathematics Is That Of Pi ( Π )

Better Essays

PI (π) One of the oldest and most commonly known and used concepts in mathematics is that of Pi (π). In the earliest of know human civilizations, people realized the importance of finding the exact value of π for practical reasons. Even by todays standards, we still only need to know the exact value of π to a few decimal place values, although that hasn’t stopped mathematicians from pursuing a more accurate representation for its value throughout time.

The earliest know approximations for the value of π have been identified on ancient clay tablets, dated 1900-1650 BC, from the Babylonian civilization which states the value of π as (25/8) = 3.125. and from the Egyptian civilization, from the Rhind Papyrus(1650BC), which approximates the value of π to be (16/9)^2 = 3.1605. Although these earliest of approximations have been proven to be within 1 percent of todays actual know value, it marks the point of obsession for mathematicians to find an exact value for π.

The next advancement in determining a more accurate value didn’t occur for more than another 1000 years. Around 250 BC, the Greek mathematician Archimedes developed an approach using circumscribed and inscribed polygons to prove that the value of pi to be between (223/71) < π < (22/7) (3.1408 < π < 3.1429). This geometrical approach was predominantly used by mathematicians for the next 1000 years, were in 1630 an exact value of π was found to 39 decimal palaces.

Sometime around the year 1425, a new approach

Get Access