Theos-Talk Archives (March 2005 Message tt00089)

In a message dated 03/04/05 4:31:34 PM, forums@sova.us writes:

>Friday, March 4, 2005, 10:25:29 AM, leonmaurer wrote:
>
>> However, we must understand that Pi is not an exact measurement
>> of length, such as the radius or the circumference of a circle, but is
>> simply the mathematical ratio between those measurements.
>
>I'd like to add that "length" is the distance between two points and
>by definition must follow a straight line, therefore, strictly
>speaking, circumference or any other curve cannot have length,
>although we may approximate a curve by a sequence of straight lines
>(which we actually do). :-) Hence Pi is a ratio between two objects of
>different nature, which is quite unnatural...
>
If we wish to nit pick further :-) we might say that length is also distance 
from one point to another along any path straight or curved. Therefore if we 
travel around the earth and measure the distance from our point of departure 
to that same point of arrival, the length traveled is that measurement. 
Therefore, the distance from a single point around any circle back to that point is 
a measurement of length -- as if that circle were cut and pulled into a 
straight line. Thus, Pi is the natural ratio between two lines of different length 
that always maintains that relationship regardless of the length of either 
measurement.

Best wishes,
Leon...