Happy Pi Day!
Over three thousand years ago, an artist chiseled a useful ratio into stone so that it would not be forgotten. 11/7.
It was forgotten...until I rediscovered it in 2020. While studying Egyptian art from 1295 BC, I noticed how the artist called attention to that 11/7 in a geometric design.
It suggests that the ancient Egyptians knew how to calculate the volume of a sphere using 11/7.
In my book, Egyptian Pi, I derived circle/sphere formulas using 11/7 ratios.
But wait, you might think, what about π? These calculations don't even use π? Am I saying we need a new celebration on November 7?
Another math day would be fun, but in my book, I show how the 11/7 ratio relates to 22/7 pi.
What about accuracy?
For volume, the approximation is off by just 0.04% from today's formula. Take the iconic Las Vegas Sphere (157.2 m diameter): that 0.04% error? The ancient calculation would have generated a volume of 2,034,844 cubic meters, which is 819 cubic meters more than our accurate modern calculation. Working backwards from that overshoot, the modern calculation would need a larger diameter of 157.2211 meters to get that volume. A difference of 2.2 cm in diameter.
If you were sitting at the edge of The Sphere, the approximation would have given you another 1 cm of elbow room. Less than half an inch of difference!
The ancient Egyptians knew math!
#PiDay #AncientEgypt #MathHistory #LasVegasSphere @EgyptianPi #EgyptianPi