Math · 2

The Babylonian approximation of pi as 25/8, dated to around 1900 BCE, deviated from the true value of pi by roughly what margin?

Answer

Less than 0.5%

The fraction 25/8 equals 3.125, which is less than half a percent away from pi's actual value of approximately 3.14159, an impressively accurate estimate for its era.

💡 Did you know?

Ancient Babylonians approximated π as 25/8 around 1900 BCE, missing the true value by less than 0.5%—without algebra or modern notation.

Other options people guess

  • About 5%
  • About 10%
  • About 2%

Topics

  • pi
  • babylonians
  • history-of-math
  • ancient-civilizations

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