<P> The Indiana Pi Bill is the popular name for bill # 246 of the 1897 sitting of the Indiana General Assembly , one of the most notorious attempts to establish mathematical truth by legislative fiat . Despite its name , the main result claimed by the bill is a method to square the circle , rather than to establish a certain value for the mathematical constant π , the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter . The bill , written by amateur mathematician Edward J. Goodwin , does imply various incorrect values of π , such as 3.2 . </P>
<P> The Indiana Pi Bill is the popular name for bill # 246 of the 1897 sitting of the Indiana General Assembly , one of the most notorious attempts to establish mathematical truth by legislative fiat . Despite its name , the main result claimed by the bill is a method to square the circle , rather than to establish a certain value for the mathematical constant π , the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter . The bill , written by amateur mathematician Edward J. Goodwin , does imply various incorrect values of π , such as 3.2 . </P>
who tried to legislate a value for pi
who tried to legislate a value for pi
amateur mathematician Edward J. Goodwin
amateur mathematician Edward J. Goodwin