Squaring the Circle UC Denver（要解决加州大学丹佛）.pdfVIP

Squaring the Circle A Case Study in the History of Mathematics The Problem Using only a compass and straightedge, construct for any given circle, a square ith the same area as the circle. The general problem of constructing a square ith the same area as a given figure is kno n as the Quadrature of that figure. So, e seek a quadrature of the circle. The Ans er It has been kno n since 1822 that the quadrature of a circle ith straightedge and compass is impossible. Notes : First of all e are not saying that a square of equal area does not exist. If the circle has area A, then a square ith side √A clearly has the same area. Secondly, e are not saying that a quadrature of a circle is impossible, since it is possible, but not under the restriction of using only a straightedge and compass. Precursors It has been ritten, in many places, that the quadrature problem appears in one of the earliest extant mathematical sources, the Rhind Papyrus (~ 1650 B.C.). This is not really an accurate statement. If one means by the “quadrature of the circle” simply a quadrature by any means, then one is ju st asking for the determination of the area of a circle. This problem does appear in the Rhind Papyrus, but I consider it as ju st a p recursor to the construction problem e are examining. The Rhind Papyrus The papyrus as found in Thebes (Luxor) in the ruins of a small 1 building near the Ramesseum. It as purchased in 1858 in Egypt by the Scottish Egyptologist A. Henry Rhind and acquired by th