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Quadrature of the Circle in Ancient Egypt

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Abstract

The mathematicians of ancient Egypt approximated the area of a circle by a square with astonishing accuracy. The way to find this approximation is not handed down. In this paper a conjecture is given which seems to be much more simple than earlier attempts.

Die Mathematiker des alten Ägypten approximierten mit erstaunlicher Genauigkeit die Kreisfläche durch ein Quadrat. Es ist nicht Überliefert, wie diese Approximation entstanden ist. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird darüber eine Vermutung mitgeteilt, die wesentlich einfacher ist als bisherige Erklärungsversuche.

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References

  • Becker, O and J E Hofmann 1951 Geschichte der Mathematik Bonn (Athenäum-Verlag) p. 21

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  • Cantor, M 1907 Vorlesungen Über Geschichte der Mathematik, vol. 1 Reprint 1965 New York (Johnson Reprint)

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  • Vogel, K 1958 Vorgriechische Mathematik, Part I : Vorgeschichte und Ägypten Hannover

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© 2004 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Engels, H. (2004). Quadrature of the Circle in Ancient Egypt. In: Pi: A Source Book. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4217-6_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4217-6_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1915-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-4217-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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