Pi: A Source Book

A complete history of pi from the dawn of mathematical time to the present. The story of pi reflects the most seminal, the most serious and sometimes the silliest aspects of mathematics. Pi is one of the few concepts in mathematics whose mention evokes a response of recognition and interest in those not concerned professionally with the subject. Yet, despite this, no source book on pi has been published until now. One of the beauties of this subject is that it allows for the inclusion of very modern, yet still accessible, mathematics.Mathematicians and historians of mathematics will find this book indispensable, while teachers at every level from the seventh grade onward will find ample resources for anything from special topic courses to individual talks and special student projects. Following a selection of the mathematical literature over four millennia, the book covers a variety of historical writings on the cultural meaning and significance of the number, and the whole is rounded off by a number of treatments on pi that are fanciful, satirical and/or whimsical.