The Computation of Pi by Archimedes
Archimedes wrote 3 1/7 > pi > 3 10/71. This is how he did it.
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Before there was floating point, or a way to write zero, or algebraic notation, Archimedes bounded the value of pi by estimating the perimeter of regular polygons inside and outside the circle. His computation is repeated and explained here using MATLAB.
Cite As
Bill McKeeman (2026). The Computation of Pi by Archimedes (https://nl.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/29504-the-computation-of-pi-by-archimedes), MATLAB Central File Exchange. Retrieved .
Acknowledgements
Inspired by: Variable Precision Integer Arithmetic, Fractions Toolbox
General Information
- Version 1.20.0.0 (3.58 MB)
MATLAB Release Compatibility
- Compatible with any release
Platform Compatibility
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
| Version | Published | Release Notes | Action |
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| 1.20.0.0 | Fixing bug noted by danf in comments.
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| 1.19.0.0 | Added @vpi and @fr class directories |
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| 1.13.0.0 | The submitted zip file still did not have the right contents. Trying again. |
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| 1.12.0.0 | Previous version did not have vpi or fr on the MATLAB path -- caused errors. |
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| 1.9.0.0 | Still trying to change typo in Greek number |
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| 1.8.0.0 | Fixed type in Greek integer |
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| 1.7.0.0 | Apologies for many updates. Wordsmithing again. |
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| 1.6.0.0 | Minor fixes, sent wrong file last submission. |
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| 1.3.0.0 | Improved wording. |
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| 1.2.0.0 | Rewrote some of the descriptive material. |
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| 1.1.0.0 | Typo in title page |
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| 1.0.0.0 |
