4,994
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 3:
Line 3: − +
Push the many assumptions into a footnote. No need to editorialize one way or the other on what this implies about Biblical infallibility.
<big><math>\pi</math></big> is also the symbol used in mathematics for the ratio between the diameter of a circle and its circumference, and which appears in many other places.
<big><math>\pi</math></big> is also the symbol used in mathematics for the ratio between the diameter of a circle and its circumference, and which appears in many other places.
In the Bible, 1 Kings 7:23 contains the famous passage "And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about." This quotation predates Greek mathematics and is an example of the wisdom contained in the bible. Assuming the "sea" is perfectly circular, and that the given distances are perfectly exact and not rounded, this would equate Pi to 3. As a result, some people use this as "proof" the Bible's fallibility. However, the Bible only says that the "sea" is ''round'', not that it is ''circular''.
In the Bible, 1 Kings 7:23 contains the famous passage "And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about." This quotation predates Greek mathematics and is an example of the wisdom contained in the bible. Making many assumptions<ref>Assumping that; the "sea" is perfectly circular; the measurements are to be understood as exact; the measurement of the "compass" and across the "brim" are measurements of the same circle, rather, than say, exterior and interior measurementsof a thick lip; etc.</ref> this would equate Pi to 3.
<big><math>\pi</math></big> is an [[irrational number]]; this means that it cannot be expressed as a fraction, and (therefore) cannot be expressed exactly as a decimal no matter how many decimal places it is carried out to.
<big><math>\pi</math></big> is an [[irrational number]]; this means that it cannot be expressed as a fraction, and (therefore) cannot be expressed exactly as a decimal no matter how many decimal places it is carried out to.