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Mathematics Throughout History

The Creation of Zero and Pi

How was the value of pi determined arithmetically?

One of the earliest mathematical formulas for pi was determined by English mathematician John Wallis (1616–1703), who wrote the notation as:

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Another more commonly-recognized notation for pi is often attributed to German philosopher and mathematician Baron Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716), but is more likely the work of Scottish mathematician James Gregory (1638–1675):

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Both are amazing examples of something that was not only figured out using geometric methods, but also arithmetic methods.