Thoughts for upcoming Pi Day . . . 3/14
Madhava (c. 1360-1420), an Empranitiri
Brahman
living in India, calculated and expressed
using the bhutasankhya system of words denoting objects that
are
taken in reverse order.
Here is a literal translation of his Sanskrit:
Gods [33], eyes [2], elephants
[8], snakes
[8], fires [3], three [3], qualities [3], Vedas [4], naksatras [27],
elephants
[8], and arms [2]. The wise say that this is the measure of the
circuference
when the diameter of a circle is nine hundred billion.
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