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A History of Pi
 
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A History of Pi (Paperback)

by Petr Beckmann (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
RRP: £15.99
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Frequently Bought Together

A History of Pi + "e": The Story of a Number (Princeton Science Library) + Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
Total RRP: £36.93
Price For All Three: £20.04

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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: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 24,741 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #3 in  Books > Science & Nature > Mathematics > Mathematical Theory > Number Theory
    #9 in  Books > Science & Nature > Mathematics > History of Mathematics
    #22 in  Books > History > Other Historical Subjects > History of Science

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Product Description

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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A History of Pi
48% buy the item featured on this page:
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Customer Reviews

14 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (3)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 17 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 21 months ago by M. J. Siddiq

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 July 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

1.0 out of 5 stars A Slice of Pi You Can Live Without
Since I'm somewhat of a fan of books that cover the history of science and math, I had to buy this one when I saw it. Read more
Published on 28 Sep 1997

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