John C Beach

Egyptian Pi - History by the Slice John C Beach

At Abydos and at Karnak, stone carvings appear to display mathematical lessons by ancient Egyptians, and their method of calculating pi is equal to an accuracy of the 22/7 ratio commonly used as an approximation today. Evidence is presented that the ancient Egyptians had attained a sophisticated understanding of pi over 1,000 years before Archimedes and the Greeks. Readers are provided with several hands-on exercises that demonstrate mathematical and geometric concepts via folding paper disks and string. Pentagons, heptagons, rectangles, pyramids, and a humorous character named Cubit Forearm make their appearances as the author explores the practical significance of a discovery that will revise our understanding of the origins of mathematics in the ancient world. Appropriate for all ages, general readers, historians, mathematicians, and those with an interest in ancient Egypt.

SECOND EDITION