How to get the value of pi = 3.142 by yourself

2015-04-12T03:04:00.000-07:00

How to get the value of pi=3.142 by yourself

The value of pi is not a rational number because 3.142 is just an approximate value and if we were to start writing it down, we would exhaust all the papers we have in this world. Therefore, the value of pi cannot be expressed in terms of a ratio or fraction, although some people use 22/7 but this is still not the approximate value of pi. Then, how do we determine the value of mathematical constant, pi?

Although, the value of pi was never determined mathematically.

It was proved experimentally rather than mathematically. So, to determine this yourself is something you can do with your school materials.

Materials you might need are: pencil, pen, paper, compass, a long cotton thread and a ruler.

Below are steps to follow in the determination of pi:

Step 1:

Get your compass and and mark any radius of your choice on a ruler

Step 2:

Draw a circle on a paper with the compass

Step 3:

Get your thread and rest it along the circumference of the circle(you might need a gum to bind one end of the thread to the paper) until you have covered one circumference of the circle. Now, you can mark the starting and ending points on thread with a pencil.

Step 4:

Now, stretch the rope on a ruler and measure the distance between the two points you marked earlier. Record the distance down. You have just measured the circumference of your circle.

Step 5:

Now, you have the value of your circumference and radius of your circle. You should now, divide the circumference by its diameter which it two multiplied by the radius of your circle. That's it! You have determined the value of pi by yourself and you won't feel worried again whenever you are to take pi as 3.142.

Reasons why minus times minus equals to plus

2015-03-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

Reasons why minus times minus equals to plus

Have you ever wonder why we accept, in mathematics, that negative of negative gives positive sign(that is, negative times negative equals to positive)? I guessed you might have asked yourself this interesting question. Here are some reasons why we accept negative of negative to be positive:

1. FROM THE LOGIC PERSPECTIVE: taking a statement for an example; I like that girl. "I like that girl" being a positive statement can be made negative by saying the opposite; I don't like that girl. We can as well make the latter statement positive, negative of the statement, by saying "I don't not like that girl" which simply means "I like that girl". When you say the opposite(negative) of a negative thing, then you are saying the positive.

2 FROM THE EQUATION PERSPECTIVE: consider these equations for example;
a.
0 = 0 x -1
0 = -1 + 1 x -1
0 = (-1 x -1) + (1 x -1)
0= (-1 x -1) - 1

If you have followed these equations carefully, you'll see that for the last equation to be correct, the answer to the right hand expression has to be zero. -1 x -1 has two results that can be suspected of, either -1 or +1 but in this case if -1 is chosen, the answer which is -2 does not equal zero, and therefore isn't the correct result of -1 x -1. Let's try and fix -1 x -1 as +1 and see if it does make the expression equals zero. "+1 - 1 = 0". Yes! and that proofs -1 x -1 = +1, minus times minus equals plus.

b. FROM UNDERSTANDING OF DIVIDING ANYTHING BY ITSELF GIVES ONE: consider the following equations;

-2 x -2 = -2 x -2
-2 x -2 = (-1 x -1) x 2 x 2
-2 x -2 = -1/-1 x 2 x 2 (note that multiplication is the same as dividing by the reciprocal and the reciprocal of -1 is -1)
By intuitive reasoning, we know that anything divided by itself gives us one with only zero being an exception.
Therefore,
-2 x -2 = 1 x 2 x 2 = 4.

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How to get the value of pi = 3.142 by yourself