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A History of Pi
A History of Pi

A book by Petr Beckmann

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Whoever knew math had so much history

  • Jun 13, 2011
Rating:
+4

Did you know the Bible gives a value for pi? I didn't till I read this book, but it makes sense. After all, the Bible tells people how to build temples and arks. And builders use pi.

The author starts in pre-history and works his way through all those well-known civilizations, showing how much, or how little, they knew about geometry and cirles and pi. Military rulers, religious philosophers, geometers and scientists all take a hand in the search for an appropriate value. But some things simply can't be measured in numbers, and the story of all the different techniques history provided are truly fascinating.

By the end of the book you'll be reading math like a mathematician but don't worry; you really don't have to be a mathematician to read and enjoy this book.

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About the reviewer
Sheila Deeth ()
Ranked #51
Sheila Deeth's first novel, Divide by Zero, has just been released in print and ebook formats. Find it on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powells, etc. Her spiritual speculative novellas can be found at … more
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About this book

Wiki

"A pure delight . . . Entirely offbeat, which gives it its charm." --The Denver Post

"A very readable account." --Science

"A cheerful work." --Scientific American
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Details

ISBN-10: 0312381859
ISBN-13: 978-0312381851
Author: Petr Beckmann
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

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