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From: jmiller@ctvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.misc
Subject: Re: re: Biblical value of pi - (nf)
Message-ID: <38800002@ctvax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 15-Apr-84 18:26:00 EST
Article-I.D.: ctvax.38800002
Posted: Sun Apr 15 18:26:00 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Apr-84 02:25:04 EST
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Nf-From: ctvax!jmiller    Apr 15 17:26:00 1984

#R:hao:-90900:ctvax:38800002:000:1310
ctvax!jmiller    Apr 15 17:26:00 1984

	The explanation I had always heard for the attempt to make pi = 3 was
that it was essentially an attempt to make it easier for farmers to prepare
their tax returns.  Farmers had to estimate the amount of grain stored in
their (cylindrical) grain elevators, and, in those pre-calculator days,
multiplying something by 3.1415926... was a real pain.  The proposal was to
let them use 3 for pi in the formula for the volume of the elevator, and then
adjust the tax tables so that everything worked out more or less correctly.
However, the newspapers picked up only part of the story, screwed up a few
things, and reported that there was a bunch of dumb farmers out there trying
to redefine mathematical principles by a vote of the legislature, imposing
weird religious beliefs on the public at the same time.  Once this happened,
of course, the bill never had a chance.

	This explanation has the disadvantage that it actualy makes a certain
amount of sense, and doesn't let us make fun of a bunch of dumb farmers out
there trying to redefine mathematical principles by a vote of the legislature,
imposing weird religious beliefs on the public at the same time.  On the other
hand, I wasn't there at the time, so there may be hope after all....:-)

Jim Miller, Computer * Thought, Dallas
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