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Pi in a bible
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- 2. π in Bible •The Biblical reference is from 1 Kings 7:23. “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 about it.” (NIV) • The “Sea of cast metal" is a large metal bowl. • The ”circular in shape" suggests a circle. • The thirty cubits is the circumference. • The ten cubits is the diameter. • The formula we learned in school is – Circumference = π times Diameter. • π = Circumference / Diameter = 30 / 10 = 3, which suggests the Bible says pi equals 3.
- 3. But, π ≠3 • We "know" that the the value of pi is an infinite decimal, 3.1415926…. We usually round this to a value of 3.14, or in fractions, 3 and 1/7. • Although we can probably agree that the Bible is not intended as a math textbook, is it possible the Bible got this one so wrong?
- 4. Explanation • Let’s consider1 Kings 7:26 “It was a handbreadth in thickness, and its rim was like the rim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths” (NIV) • This suggests that the bowl was not paper- thin; it was a handbreadth thick. • Dictionary simply defines a "handbreadth" as "the breadth of the hand - from 2 1/2 to 4 inches.”
- 5. 1 cubit =18 inches Outer diameter = 10 cubits = 180 inches Outer radius = 5 cubits = 90 inches Inner Circumference = 30 cubits = 540 inches. Since the thickness of the bowl is given as one handbreadth ≈ 4 inches, then the inner radius must be: 90 – 4 = 86 inches. The circumference formula is C=2πr. 540 = 2π86 540 = 172π π = 540/172 = 3.139534884…≈ 3.14