A History of π
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A History of π is a 1971 non-fiction book by physicist Petr Beckmann that presents a laymen's level-introduction to the concept of the mathematical constant π. It may be best known for the author's colorful and free-wheeling opinions about politics and culture. Beckmann was a Czechoslovakian who fled the Soviets to come to the U.S., and his dislike of authority gives A History of π a style that belies its dry title. For example, his chapter on the era following the classical age of ancient Greece is titled "The Roman Pest"; he calls the Catholic Inquisition the act of "insane religious fanatics"; and he says that people who question public spending on scientific research are "intellectual cripples who drivel about 'too much technology' because technology has wounded them with the ultimate insult: They can't understand it any more." [edit] See also[edit] External links |
