In ancient China, people realized from practice that the circumference of a circle is "the diameter of a circle is greater than Wednesday", that is, the circumference of a circle is more than three times the diameter of a circle, but there are different opinions on how much it is. Before Zu Chongzhi, Liu Hui, a mathematician in China, put forward a scientific method to calculate pi-"secant method", that is, the circumference of a circle is approximated by the circumference of a regular polygon inscribed in the circle. In this way, Liu Hui calculated pi to four decimal places. On the basis of predecessors, Zu Chongzhi calculated the pi to 7 decimal places (between 3. 14 15926 and 3. 14 15927) after assiduous study and repeated calculation, and obtained an approximate value in the form of pi fraction. How Zu Chongzhi came to this conclusion is impossible to prove. If you imagine that he will follow Liu Hui's "secant" method to find it, it is necessary to calculate the circle inscribed with 16000 polygons, and how much time and energy it will take!
It has been more than 1000 years since Zu Chongzhi calculated pi and foreign mathematicians got the same result. In order to commemorate Zu Chongzhi's outstanding contribution, some foreign mathematical historians suggested that pi be called "ancestral rate". Zu Chongzhi not only made great achievements in the calculation of pi, but also solved the calculation of sphere volume with his son in a clever way. The principle they adopted at that time was called "cavalieri principle" in the west, but it was discovered by Italian mathematician cavalieri after Zu Chongzhi 1000 years. In order to commemorate the great contribution of grandfather and son in discovering this principle, this principle is also known as the "ancestor principle" in mathematics.
Zu Chongzhi's achievements in the field of mathematics are only one aspect of China's achievements in ancient mathematics. In fact, before14th century, China was one of the countries with the most advanced mathematics in the world. For example, Pythagorean theorem in geometry was discussed in China's early mathematical monograph "The Book of Changes" (written in the 2nd century BC). Another important mathematical monograph, Nine Chapters of Arithmetic, was written in 1 century, and put forward the concept of negative number and the law of addition and subtraction of positive and negative numbers for the first time in the history of mathematics in the world. In the 3rd century/kloc-,China had the solution of the decagonal equation, but it was not until the 6th century/kloc-that Europe put forward the solution of the cubic equation.
The calculation of pi is a very important and difficult research topic in mathematics. Many mathematicians in ancient China devoted themselves to the calculation of pi, and Zu Chongzhi's achievements in the 5th century can be said to be a leap in the calculation of pi. Zu Chongzhi was a great mathematician and astronomer in ancient China. Zu Chongzhi was born in Jiankang (now Nanjing, Jiangsu) in 429 AD. His family has been studying astronomical calendars for generations. He has been exposed to mathematics and astronomy since childhood. In 464 AD, Zu Chongzhi was 35 years old and began to calculate pi.
In ancient China, people realized from practice that the circumference of a circle is "the diameter of a circle is greater than Wednesday", that is, the circumference of a circle is more than three times the diameter of a circle, but there are different opinions on how much it is. Before Zu Chongzhi, Liu Hui, a mathematician in China, put forward a scientific method to calculate pi-"secant method", that is, the circumference of a circle is approximated by the circumference of a regular polygon inscribed in the circle. In this way, Liu Hui calculated pi to four decimal places. On the basis of predecessors, Zu Chongzhi calculated the pi to 7 decimal places (between 3. 14 15926 and 3. 14 15927) after assiduous study and repeated calculation, and obtained an approximate value in the form of pi fraction. How Zu Chongzhi came to this conclusion is impossible to prove. If you imagine that he will follow Liu Hui's "secant" method to find it, it is necessary to calculate the circle inscribed with 16000 polygons, and how much time and energy it will take!
It has been more than 1000 years since Zu Chongzhi calculated pi and foreign mathematicians got the same result. In order to commemorate Zu Chongzhi's outstanding contribution, some foreign mathematical historians suggested that pi be called "ancestral rate". Zu Chongzhi not only made great achievements in the calculation of pi, but also solved the calculation of sphere volume with his son in a clever way. The principle they adopted at that time was called "cavalieri principle" in the west, but it was discovered by Italian mathematician cavalieri after Zu Chongzhi 1000 years. In order to commemorate the great contribution of grandfather and son in discovering this principle, this principle is also known as the "ancestor principle" in mathematics.
Zu Chongzhi's achievements in the field of mathematics are only one aspect of China's achievements in ancient mathematics. In fact, before14th century, China was one of the countries with the most advanced mathematics in the world. For example, Pythagorean theorem in geometry was discussed in China's early mathematical monograph "The Book of Changes" (written in the 2nd century BC). Another important mathematical monograph, Nine Chapters of Arithmetic, was written in 1 century, and put forward the concept of negative number and the law of addition and subtraction of positive and negative numbers for the first time in the history of mathematics in the world. In the 3rd century/kloc-,China had the solution of the decagonal equation, but it was not until the 6th century/kloc-that Europe put forward the solution of the cubic equation.