A History of Pi

A History of Pi (also titled A History of π) is a 1970 non-fiction book by Petr Beckmann that presents a layman's introduction to the concept of the mathematical constant pi (π).[1]

A History of Pi
Book cover of A History of Pi (3rd ed.)
AuthorPetr Beckmann
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectMathematics
General Sciences
History of mathematics
PublisherGolem Press (1st, 2nd ed.)
St. Martin's Press (3rd ed.)
Hippocrene Books (Reprint ed.)
Publication date
1970
Pages190 pages
ISBN978-0-911762-07-5
OCLC99082
Part of a series of articles on the
mathematical constant π
3.1415926535897932384626433...
Uses
Properties
Value
People
History
In culture
Related topics

Author

Beckmann was a Czechoslovakian who fled the Communist regime to go to the United States. His dislike of authority gives A History of Pi a style that belies its dry title. For example, his chapter on the era following the classical age of ancient Greece is titled "The Roman Pest";[2] he calls the Catholic Inquisition the act of "insane religious fanatic"; and he says that people who question public spending on scientific research are "intellectual cripples who drivel about 'too much technology' because technology has wounded them with the ultimate insult: 'They can't understand it any more.'"

Beckmann was a prolific scientific author who wrote several electrical engineering textbooks and non-technical works, founded Golem Press, which published most of his books, and published his own monthly newsletter, Access to Energy. He wrote more than 60 scientific papers and eight technical books.

Bibliography

A History of Pi was originally published as A History of π in 1970 by Golem Press. It was published as A History of Pi in 1976 by St. Martin's Press. It was published as A History of Pi by Hippocrene Books in 1990.[3] The title is given as A History of Pi by both Amazon[4] and by WorldCat.[5]

  1. Beckmann, Petr (1970), A History of π (1st ed.), Golem Press, p. 190, ISBN 0-911762-07-8
  2. Beckmann, Petr (1971-01-01), A History of π (2nd ed.), Golem Press, p. 196, ISBN 0-911762-12-4
  3. Beckmann, Petr (1976-07-15), A History of Pi (3rd ed.), St. Martin's Press, p. 208, ISBN 0-312-38185-9
  4. Beckmann, Petr (1977), A History of π (4th ed.), Golem Press, p. 202, ISBN 0-911762-18-3
  5. Beckmann, Petr (1982), A History of π (5th ed.), Golem Press, p. 202, ISBN 0-911762-18-3
  6. Beckmann, Petr (1990-06-01), A History of Pi (Reprint ed.), Hippocrene Books, p. 200, ISBN 0-88029-418-3

See also

References
  1. Drum, Kevin (December 2, 1996). "A History of Pi, by Petr Beckman". Archived from the original on July 4, 2007. Retrieved April 13, 2014.
  2. Thoreau, Book Recommendation: A History of Pi Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "A History of PI by Petr Beckmann ", GoodReads
  4. ASIN 0312381859
  5. OCLC 472118858
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