> P.S. for Bible infallibilistes---where does the Bible
> give its notoriously incorrect definition of pi as 3?
> An orders-of-magnitude worse estimate than the
> Bablyonian value of 1,000 yrs previous....
"He made the Sea of cast metal, circular in shape, measuring ten cubits
from rim to rim and five cubits high. It took a line of thirty cubits
to measure around it." (1 Kings 7:23)
Rather than being a definition of pi, the ten-cubit dimension is an
inside diameter, and the circumference is around the outside. The
~1-inch thickness of the basin wall makes the difference.
>>
Pim van Meurs Wrote:
>Yes one can always find a way to explain away the difference. Too bad that
the original text could not have been clearer about this.
Yes, secondary assumptions can be a useful crutch, as I'm sure you're aware
from your own work.