The Indiana Pi Bill, 1897
Text of the State of Indiana
ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL No. 246
A Bill for an act introducing a new
mathematical truth and offered as a contribution to education to be
used only by the State of Indiana free of cost by paying any royalties
whatever on the same, provided it is accepted and adopted by the
official action of the Legislature of 1897.
Section
1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of
the State of Indiana: It has been found that a circular area is to the
square on a line equal to the quadrant of the circumference, as the
area of an equilateral rectangle is to the square on one side. The
diameter employed as the linear unit according to the present rule in
computing the circle's area is entirely wrong, as it represents the
circle's area one and one-fifth times the area of a square whose
perimeter is equal to the circumference of the circle. This is because
one fifth of the diameter fails to be represented four times in the
circle's circumference. For example: if we multiply the perimeter of a
square by one-fourth of any line one-fifth greater than one side, we
can in like manner make the square's area to appear one-fifth greater
than the fact, as is done by taking the diameter for the linear unit
instead of the quadrant of the circle's circumference.
Section
2
It is impossible to compute the area of
a circle on the diameter as the linear unit without trespassing upon
the area outside of the circle to the extent of including one-fifth
more area than is contained within the circle's circumference, because
the square on the diameter produces the side of a square which equals
nine when the arc of ninety degrees equals eight. By taking the
quadrant of the circle's circumference for the linear unit, we fulfill
the requirements of both quadrature and rectification of the circle's
circumference. Furthermore, it has revealed the ratio of the chord and
arc of ninety degrees, which is as seven to eight, and also the ratio
of the diagonal and one side of a square which is as ten to seven,
disclosing the fourth important fact, that the ratio of the diameter and
circumference is as five-fourths to four1;
and because of these facts and the further fact that the rule in
present use fails to work both ways mathematically, it should be
discarded as wholly wanting and misleading in its practical
applications.
Section
3
In further proof of the value of the
author's proposed contribution to education and offered as a gift to
the State of Indiana, is the fact of his solutions of the trisection of
the angle, duplication of the cube and quadrature of the circle having
been already accepted as contributions to science by the American
Mathematical Monthly, the leading exponent of mathematical thought in
this country. And be it remembered that these noted problems had been
long since given up by scientific bodies as insolvable mysteries and
above man's ability to comprehend.
LEGISLATIVE
HISTORY
Introduced
IN THE HOUSE
Read first time January
18th, 1897
Referred to Committee on Canals
Reported and referred to Committee on Education January 19th, 1897
Reported back February 2nd, 1897
Read second time February 5th, 1897
Ordered engrossed February 5th, 1897
Read third time February 5th, 1897
Passed February 5th, 1897
Ayes - 67 - Noes -0-
Introduced by Record
IN THE SENATE
Read first time and
referred to
committee on Temperance, February 11th, 1897
Reported favorable February 12th, 1897
Read second time and indefinitely postponed February 12, 1897
