Theos-Talk Archives (March 2005 Message tt00161)

--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, Bart Lidofsky <bartl@s...> wrote:
> stevestubbs wrote:
> Pi is defined as a ratio: the ratio between the circumference and 
the 
> diameter of a circle.

Yes and no. Pi shows up in all sorts of equations, not just the 
definition of a circle. You might as well say pi is defined in terms 
of radians or any number of other matters. What I was getting at is, 
if it were a ratio, you could divide one number by another and get 
pi, whereas the truth is, if you want an accurate calculation you 
have to use the MaLaurin series. People with nothing better to do 
have calculated pi to hundreds of decimal places and you cannot do 
that by using a ruler to measure the circumference and diameter of a 
circle. You might get 3.14, but beyond that the numbers would be off.

Do you know of two numbers which, if one were divided into another, 
would yield an accurate value for pi to any number of decimal places?