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A History of Pi (Paperback)

by Petr Beckmann (Author)

3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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This item: A History of Pi by Petr Beckmann
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"e": The Story of a Number (Princeton Science Library) by Eli Maor
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An Imaginary Tale: The Story of "i" [the square root of minus one] by Paul J. Nahin
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Product details

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Saint Martin's Press Inc.; 3rd edition edition (31 Dec 1976)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0312381859
ISBN-13: 978-0312381851
Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13.8 x 1.6 cm

Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 281,807 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category:
#62 in Books > Science & Nature > Mathematics > Mathematical Theory > Number Theory

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Product Description

Documents the calculation, numerical value, and use of the ratio from 2000 B.C. to the modern computer age, detailing social conditions in eras when progress was made.

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	39% buy the item featured on this page: A History of Pi 3.5 out of 5 stars (15) �8.10
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

Average Customer Review

3.5 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and controversial -- Which a book should be!, 7 Sep 1999

By A Customer

Dr. Petr Beckmann was never one to mince words. He quotes a biblical passage that strongly implies that pi equals 3, and while he is never disrespectful to the Bible, he does mock the tortured attempts of some fundamentalists to reconcile this passage with the actual value of pi.

He also mocks the Indiana State Legislature (which, in 1897, nearly passed a law that set the value of pi at about 9.23), and Theodore Heisel (who, in 1931, wrote a mathematical treatise that ignored 4000 years of progress in determining pi).

But he praises Archimedes and Newton, among others, for their heroic and quiet progress in determining the value and application of pi. And, sadly, he concludes that the Heisels of the world are more numerous than the Archimedes.

Great book. But it must be read with an open mind.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars How many ways can you Calculate PI ?, 31 May 1998

By A Customer

Dr. Beckmann presents a good overview for the experimenter/historian on the nature of this transcendental number.From the Early Greeks to the computer age he gives a good historical example of how PI has been derived. A little lacking on the computer age, he presents a good overview for beginning students.

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A math history book that is hard to put down., 12 May 1997

By A Customer

This book sheds a whole new light on the history of mathematics. A must read for anyone interested in math. Uses pi to hold the book from meandering through too much unrelated information. From high school age to retired, a marvelously written account of the origins of numbers. The book's best attribute is Dr. Beckman wit which keeps your interest throughout, regardless of the topic.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars vibrant read , pity regarding reference to a secondary source
The thing I really liked about the book was the quite personal style of the author. This actually made the book more compelling than any strait-jacketed attempt at supposed... Read more

Published 18 months ago by M. J. Siddiq

2.0 out of 5 stars Not enough explanation
I am a self-teaching maths fan, and found the maths too difficult as presented. Sure, it's nice to have a good yarn about the personalities and historical contexts, but most... Read more

Published on 9 Oct 2000 by Seth Mould

5.0 out of 5 stars a popular discourse on the history of Pi
A book which is wonderfully well-written and can make you laugh out loud. It reflects the author's growing up in stalinist-era checkoslovakia, and his distaste for totalinarianism... Read more

Published on 25 May 2000

2.0 out of 5 stars entertaining but obnoxious
The author sounds like someone I'd love to meet at the Oak Bar for a few martinis--but over a book's length his initially amusing tantrums and diatribes about the fools of... Read more

Published on 23 Aug 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars A mathematics book for the book shelf!
I bought this book in hardcover over 20 years ago. The book has been translated into over 20 languages and has served as a stimulus and inspiration for hundreds of future... Read more

Published on 12 Jul 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Beckmann's Book was great
I liked A History of Pi. It showed how pi evolved into what it is today and it also contributed to the very little number of pi books available.

Published on 10 Jun 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, erudite, and as MORAL as it is LOGICAL
Read "Consilience"? So far as "Consilience" has points to make, this little book makes the same points, but makes them with biting wit-- and in less than half... Read more

Published on 6 Dec 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars Sorry he's gone.
Beckmann died in 1992. I love this book. Whatever needed saying, Beckmann said it. A great engineer, a great man, a darn good writer. Read more

Published on 4 Aug 1998

1.0 out of 5 stars An irritating little book
I agree with the majority here:- there are some interesting little anecdotes. BUT it is written by a small minded person. Read more

Published on 3 Jun 1998

1.0 out of 5 stars A poorly baked pi
There is little to recommend about this title. The author seems to wander into different tangents while getting off of the subject at hand, namely pi. Read more

Published on 24 Mar 1998

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