Do you know Pi?

[Tyler 783]

My friends phone number is (excluding area code so you don't all call him) 223-1419. It's realy funny because any time any of us need to call anyone it's like... hmm i can't remeber anyones number. Wait a sec call dave everyone knows daves number it's 22 pi.

[David Brinza]

There was an attempt to legislate the value of Pi in Indiana in 1897. Bill #246 would have legally established Pi to be equal to 3.2! The Bill, was introduced by Edwin Goodwin, M.D., with a provision that the State of Indiana could use his copyrighted solution free of charge, but outsiders would have to pay him a royalty! With the backing of the Indiana House Committee on Education, the Bill passed the Indiana House 67-0. Fortunately, a math professor from Purdue (Professor Waldo) was able to convince the State Senators that the bill should be killed. Further consideration of the Bill was postponed indefinitely, and it never appeared in the Indiana Assembly again.

Full details (with a link to the text of the Bill) can be found at: Indiana Pi

P.S. Try working through the "proof" offered in Section 1 and 2 of the bill. It's convoluted and (of course) wrong...

[KenWittlief]

Originally Posted by David Brinza

There was an attempt to legislate the value of Pi in Indiana in 1897. Bill #246 would have legally established Pi to be equal to 3.2! ...

1897 was the beginnings of the industrial revolution. It would have been interesting if every circular object made in Indiana did not match measurements from the rest of the world, for example, if 1" diameter bearings were actually 1.05" diameter, because they had to make the circumference match the legal definition of Pi in that state?

And how many universities would there be in the state, if they were required to teach incorrect mathematics?

[David Brinza]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

It would have been interesting if every circular object made in Indiana did not match measurements from the rest of the world, for example, if 1" diameter bearings were actually 1.05" diameter, because they had to make the circumference match the legal definition of Pi in that state?

Don't those AndyMark traction wheels seem a little oversized? Could it be???