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→Pi in the Bible
== Pi in the Bible ==
== Pi in the Bible ==
Bible critics frequently claim that the [[Bible]] has an incorrect value for Pi.
Bible critics frequently claim that the [[Bible]] has an incorrect value for pi.<ref>http://www.cygnus-study.com/writings/allowableerror.shtml</ref>
This claim is based on a verse in the [[I Kings|first book of Kings]]:
This claim is based on a verse in the [[I Kings|first book of Kings]]:
{{bible quote|He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten [[cubit]]s from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits to measure around it.|book=1_Kings|chap=7|verses=23|version=NIV}}
{{bible quote|He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten [[cubit]]s from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits to measure around it.|book=1_Kings|chap=7|verses=23|version=NIV}}
* That both the [[diameter]] and the [[circumference]] are measuring the same edges. It's possible, even if unlikely, that the diameter is an outside measurement and the circumference is an inside measurement. A straight calculation doesn't allow for the thickness of the sides.<ref name="jph" />
* That both the [[diameter]] and the [[circumference]] are measuring the same edges. It's possible, even if unlikely, that the diameter is an outside measurement and the circumference is an inside measurement. A straight calculation doesn't allow for the thickness of the sides.<ref name="jph" />
* That both the diameter and the circumference are measuring the same part of the object. The object is also described as having an outward-turned rim. The easiest places to measure the diameter would be across the wider rim, and the easiest place to measure the circumference would be around the body below the rim.<ref>Grigg, 1995.</ref>
* That both the diameter and the circumference are measuring the same part of the object. The object is also described as having an outward-turned rim. The easiest places to measure the diameter would be across the wider rim, and the easiest place to measure the circumference would be around the body below the rim.<ref>Grigg, 1995.</ref>
However, even if the claim is correct, rounding pi to 3 is not "incorrect," an "error" or "wrong" and is perfectly acceptable in some circumstances.<ref>http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/52573.html</ref> The creation of a "sea of cast metal" by human beings (not God) in ancient times without modern construction tools and measuring equipment is easily understood as one of those circumstances.
== Bibliography ==
== Bibliography ==