Humble Pi

Innumerate Fundamentalists and π

I don't believe the bible is true in the sense it has the answers for my life, but I don't think that means it's entirely false either. I'm sure much of it relates to real historical events. Take 1 Kings 7.23 for example where a big bowl is being described:

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.

Now a high school student could tell you the math doesn't work. A circle 10x across can't have a circumference of 30x. But I don't think that matters. I have to give some leeway for inaccurate measurements of the time, and maybe there's some translation issues too. The point is I think it's close enough given the context.

But then enter the bible literalist who believes the bible is exact as written and the truth. Therefore Pi must be wrong.

Very easy. You are talking about the value of Pi. That is actually 3 not 3.14....... The digits after the decimal forms a geometric series and it will converge to the value zero. So, 3.14.....=3.00=3. Nobody still calculated the precise value of Pi. In future they will and apply advenced Mathematics to prove the value of Pi=3.

I mean, where do you start with this? Maybe the best way to handle them is to ask to see the label of their shirt. That cotton-poly blend will be a little warm in the fires of hell.