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Fifty Ways to Estimate the Number π

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Abstract

The number π has been defined in a rather abstract form so far: we have shown that sin and cos are periodic functions and that their period is defined to be 2π. In this chapter we will use several methods to estimate the number π. Estimating π is important for applications (it appears in all kinds of mathematical formulas in geometry, physics, probability, and so on) and also from a theoretical point of view. What is this number? More generally, what is a number? What is its exact value? Why do we need approximations?

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Correspondence to Rinaldo B. Schinazi .

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Schinazi, R.B. (2012). Fifty Ways to Estimate the Number π . In: From Calculus to Analysis. Birkhäuser, Boston. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-8176-8289-7_4

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