Why is pie the math term used?

Answer 1

'pie' is NOT a term used in maths. 'Pie' is what you eat; apple pie, meat pie etc.,

I think you mean 'pi' ; Note the spelling.

'pi' is the modern English spelling of the Classical Greek letter 'pi' ; ' |-\ ' is the best I can do here. It looks like a soccer goalposts with a 'wobbly leg on one side.

'pi' when translated into modern English is the small/lower case letter 'p'.

It has been used from Classical times , because it was found to be the 'constant of **p**roportion' for circle.

In pre=Classical times, the Sumerian Civilisation. , and today, a donkey/mule/ox would be tied to a tether, to drive water up from a well.

The animal went round in a circle 'chasing his carrot'. However, the length of the tether is the radiius and the circle was the circumference.

It was noted that however, long the tether and correspondingly larger the circle. there was a direct proportion.

Algebraically expressed as

Circumference is directly proportional the twice the length of the tether(diameter).

C directly proportional to d

It was equated by putting in 'k' a constant of proportion .

C = k d

Algebraically rearranging

k = C/d

This ratio/fraction was always found to be 3.141592..... ' ~ 3.14.

The Classical Greeks gave this constant of **P**roportion, the symbol 'pi / p' .

Hence we use 'pi' symbol; today for circle calculations.

pi = 3.141592... is an IRRATIONAL number, which casually means the decimals go to infinity, and there is no regular order in the decimal digits.

However, in school , you are probably given ' 3.14.' , or '3.1416'. or '22/7 ' , for ease of calculation, but these numbers are only approximations.

NB

'pi' . 'p' 'proportion'.

Hope that helps.!!!!!!

Answer 2

It is the constant representing the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter.