Measure the distance around a circle to get the circumference. Then, measure the distance across it to find the diameter. Divide the circumference by the diameter. The result is pi.
To try it yourself, get something round (like a glass jar). Wrap a piece of string or cloth around it until it touches end to end once. Measure that distance (the circumference). Now, measure the distance across it. Do the math and see what you get.
But, how do you determine pi without measuring anything? How accurate can you find it to be?
That is the challenge! Read on to learn more…
There are different methods used to calculate pi. We will explore the use of circumscribed and inscribed regular polygons.
If you are not familiar with regular polygons, they are simply shapes that have equal length sides and equal angles inside. For example, a square is a regular 4 sided polygon. All of its sides are equal in length, and the angles at the corners are equal (at 90 degrees). You can have a regular 3 sided, 5 sided, 17 sided, 239 sided, or N sided polygon, where N is any number you would like (greater than 2).
An inscribed polygon is a regular shape that has a circle centered inside it. The circle will just touch the midpoint of each line segment.
A circumscribed polygon is a regular shape that has a circle centered around it. The circle will just touch the end points of each line segment.
How do you apply these inscribed and circumscribed shapes to determine pi? Read on to learn more…
Now for the next step… Coming soon. I’m still writing this portion to be understandable by myself.