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Do you understand pi π? It is said to be the crystallization of the infinite wisdom of Archimedes, the father of modern mathematics, but do you know how it was discovered?
In the 4th century BC, Archimedes, an ancient Greek mathematician, was known as the "father of mathematics". At one point, he had a debate with King Ulysses II about the principle of leverage. After his victory, he was ready to return to the lab to celebrate the day of the victory with a few drinks. On the way back, he spotted a turtle crawling slowly, looking up from time to time to see the length ratio of the sun and shadow. This scene aroused Archimedes' interest, and he began to think: if the shadow of an object is half its own length, then what is the length of this object?
Archimedes, through observation and calculation, found that the length of this object was equal to three times the length of its shadow. He named this result "Archimedes' Law" and expressed it in the Greek alphabet π.
π's discovery is not just a milestone in the history of mathematics, it has a wide range of applications. For example, in engineering, π can be used to calculate the perimeter and area of a circular object, thereby improving the accuracy of calculations. In medicine, π is also used to predict the weight and expected date of delivery of a fetus.
After understanding the discovery process of π, did you have a deeper understanding of this magic number? Let's explore more about π together.