[Avodah] calculation of pi

[Eli Turkel]

<< No rishon says that pi is 3.  No acharon says it's 3.  The mishna can
easily be read as simply giving a number rounded to the nearest integer;
as the Rambam says, since pi is irrational it *must* be rounded at some
point, so why not at the integer level?  The only problem is the gemara
which insists that pi is precisely 3, without the slightest deviation;
tosfos asks the question and offers no answer, but somehow managed to
keep his emunah anyway and move on to the next sugya. >>

The gemara on Baba Batra 14b calculates how much room was left in the ark
for the sefer torah.
The gemara end up that there was 2 tefachim left. The gemara then asks that
 if the space and diameter are both exactly 2 tefachim then it wont fit.
However if the diameter is 6/3.14 than the sefer torah is less than 2
tefachim and will fit.

What does this have to do with emunah?
R Avraham ben haRambam in other places claims that chazal based their
science on Greek science and it was wrong.
Didnt affect his emunah.

As to the math of rishonim the Rash on Keilim claims that the theorem of
pythagoras is wrong except if the two sides are equal.
While Rambam knew the latest math of his day not all rishonim knew it.
Raavad admits he doesnt know all the science of the path of the moon but
says it doesnt matter.

-- 
Eli Turkel
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