Pi Bill - Bill No. 246 of 1897, considered at a meeting of the Indiana General Assembly. One of the most famous attempts to establish mathematical truth in law. The main result of the proposed bill is a solution to the quadrature of the circle , but it follows from the bill in particular that π = 3.2.
The bill never became law thanks to the intervention of Professor of Purdue University , who happened to be present in the legislature on election days.
Content
Math context
The impossibility of solving the problem of squaring a circle using only a compass and a ruler was strictly proved in 1882 by Ferdinand von Lindemann . Approximations of the number π that are superior in quality to those used in the bill have been known since ancient times.
History
In 1894, the physician and amateur mathematician Edward J. Goodwin was convinced that he had discovered the correct way to square the circle [1] [2] . He proposed a bill to State Representative Taylor Record that contained a series of mathematical statements. This was strange in itself, not even mentioning the mathematical errors in this document.
The language of the bill and its subject confused members of the . The bill was submitted to the Committee on Education, which treated him favorably [3] , after which the bill was adopted by the House on February 6 [4] : 390 unanimously [3] .
The news of the bill provoked a reaction in Der Tägliche Telegraph , the German-language Indianapolis newspaper. [4] : 385
Toward the end of the debate, Professor Waldo arrived in Indianapolis to secure an annual appropriation for the Indiana Academy of Sciences. The bill was handed over to him and invited to meet with its author. He refused, saying that he already knows enough crazy [3] .
By the time the bill reached , Waldo had prepared senators. The committee reviewing the bill was not favorable to it, and the Senate postponed consideration until February 12 [4] : 386 .
The bill almost passed, but the opinion changed when one of the senators said that the legislature does not have sufficient authority to determine mathematical truth [4] : 391 . It was also influenced by the fact that large newspapers, such as the Chicago Tribune , began to make fun of the situation [4] : 390 . As a result, consideration of the bill was postponed indefinitely.
Notes
- ↑ Dudley, Underwood. Legislating Pi // Mathematical cranks . - Cambridge University Press, 1992. - S. 195. - ISBN 0-88385-507-0 .
- ↑ Edward J. Goodwin (July 1894), “Quadrature of the circle,” American Mathematical Monthly , 1 (7): 246–248.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Indiana pi story on Purdue University website
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 Hallerburg, Arthur E. “House Bill No. 246 Revisited. "
Links
- Bill text
- The Straight Dope - Did a state legislature once pass a law saying pi equals 3?
- Alabama Changes the Value of Pi - Related Story