Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Cutter · 04-29-2002, 07:12 PM

Hey all. I was in class last night and we were doing a number of equations, most of which used Pi. I happened to mention how I've read in a few places (including here) that the Bible claims Pi to be 3. Well my instructor was very interested in this but unfortunately I don't know where in the Bible it says this. Can anyone point the appropriate passage(s) out to me? Thanx.

Bill Snedden · 04-29-2002, 08:17 PM

It's <a href="http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=DIV2&byte=1393763" target="_blank">1 Kings 7:23</a>: Then he made the molten sea; it was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.

Since pi=C/D, this would yield a value of 3.

The same reference is also found in 2 Chronicles 4:2.

More information on pi and its history can be found <a href="http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Pi_through_the_ages.html" target="_blank">here</a>.

Regards,

Bill Snedden

Cutter · 04-29-2002, 08:26 PM

Thank you.

Toto · 04-29-2002, 08:53 PM

Check out this thread in BC&A:

<a href="http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=51&t=000236" target="_blank">Bible and Pi</a>

Sojourner553 · 04-30-2002, 07:49 PM

The Bible says pi is 3!
"In I Kings 7:23, the Bible says:
And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about."

I just did the math (ie 3.14 X 10 cubits): Doesn't that make the circumference 31.4 cubits or 31 if you are rounding.

Therefore the resulting number should be 31 not 30 cubits for the diameter--in order for this OT verse to be correct.

Sojourner

[ April 30, 2002: Message edited by: Sojourner553 ]</p>

Freethinking Ferret · 04-30-2002, 09:09 PM

Agreed, Sojourner... all this verse says to me is that someone measured the circumference of a round object, and did so badly, at that. Anyone who says that this verse is a biblical reference to Pi is reaching, IMHO.

Veil of Fire · 05-01-2002, 12:05 PM

For people without calculators (hell, for people without long division!) 3 is a really good guess for Pi!

ohwilleke · 05-01-2002, 03:29 PM

Approximating Pi to one signficant digit isn't too impressive. Right up there with telling somebody that the perimeter of the square is four times the length of a side. All you need is a long piece of rope to figure it out. Now, if the Bible said that e was 2.8, this approximation might actually be impressive.

[ May 01, 2002: Message edited by: ohwilleke ]</p>

Toto · 05-01-2002, 03:50 PM

Sojourner - the argument is that if you work backwards and assume that the circumference is 30 cubits, the diameter works out to 9.56, which rounds up to 10. See the Bible and Pi thread in BC&A for more attempts to rescue the Bible's reputation.

04-29-2002, 07:12 PM	#1
Cutter Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 1,805	The Bible and Pi Hey all. I was in class last night and we were doing a number of equations, most of which used Pi. I happened to mention how I've read in a few places (including here) that the Bible claims Pi to be 3. Well my instructor was very interested in this but unfortunately I don't know where in the Bible it says this. Can anyone point the appropriate passage(s) out to me? Thanx.

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04-29-2002, 08:17 PM	#2
Bill Snedden Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Greensboro, NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,597	It's <a href="http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/r/rsv/rsv-idx?type=DIV2&byte=1393763" target="_blank">1 Kings 7:23</a>: Then he made the molten sea; it was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. Since pi=C/D, this would yield a value of 3. The same reference is also found in 2 Chronicles 4:2. More information on pi and its history can be found <a href="http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Pi_through_the_ages.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Regards, Bill Snedden

04-29-2002, 08:26 PM	#3
Cutter Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 1,805	Thank you.

04-29-2002, 08:53 PM	#4
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	Check out this thread in BC&A: <a href="http://iidb.org/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=51&t=000236" target="_blank">Bible and Pi</a>

04-30-2002, 07:49 PM	#5
Sojourner553 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Southern US Posts: 817	The Bible says pi is 3! "In I Kings 7:23, the Bible says: And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about, and his height was five cubits: and a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about." I just did the math (ie 3.14 X 10 cubits): Doesn't that make the circumference 31.4 cubits or 31 if you are rounding. Therefore the resulting number should be 31 not 30 cubits for the diameter--in order for this OT verse to be correct. Sojourner [ April 30, 2002: Message edited by: Sojourner553 ]</p>

04-30-2002, 09:09 PM	#6
Freethinking Ferret Senior Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada Posts: 703	Agreed, Sojourner... all this verse says to me is that someone measured the circumference of a round object, and did so badly, at that. Anyone who says that this verse is a biblical reference to Pi is reaching, IMHO.

05-01-2002, 12:05 PM	#7
Veil of Fire Regular Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: South Carolina Posts: 451	For people without calculators (hell, for people without long division!) 3 is a really good guess for Pi!

05-01-2002, 03:29 PM	#8
ohwilleke Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Denver, Colorado, USA Posts: 4,834	Approximating Pi to one signficant digit isn't too impressive. Right up there with telling somebody that the perimeter of the square is four times the length of a side. All you need is a long piece of rope to figure it out. Now, if the Bible said that e was 2.8, this approximation might actually be impressive. [ May 01, 2002: Message edited by: ohwilleke ]</p>

05-01-2002, 03:50 PM	#9
Toto Contributor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Los Angeles area Posts: 40,549	Sojourner - the argument is that if you work backwards and assume that the circumference is 30 cubits, the diameter works out to 9.56, which rounds up to 10. See the Bible and Pi thread in BC&A for more attempts to rescue the Bible's reputation.

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