• Thunderwolf@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    There are people that think this post is wrong because the equation is wrong or due to a lack of units

    The equation for cylindrical volume is correct (circular area multipled by height).

    And the units are unimportant (can be described as cubed units)

    The issue is that Pi is a constant. Constants and variables are different things.

    Other examples of constants: 1, 24, 7, -1 … Etc.

    Saying Pi = 5 is like saying 1 = 5 … Both Pi and numbers like 1,2,3, etc. have a constant (non-varying) value.

    You can’t reassign a value on a constant. It’s like me sticking up 3 fingers and claiming there are 5 fingers there.

    • voxel@sopuli.xyz
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      11 months ago

      i had to solve a couple of problems with stuff like “assuming pi = 3”,… usually to make solving stuff without calculator easier

    • MinekPo1@lemmy.ml
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      11 months ago

      minor nitpick but the value of π is technically a parameter of the space you are operating in . which means it can have any arbitrary value as long as you are willing to operate in non euclidean spaces (and the space we live in is not euclidean though not to a measurable extent unless you are near a black hole)

      but yeah in this context saying π is a constant is as correct as saying you cant take a square root out of a negative number .

      edit : possibly better example is that a triangle’s angles sum to 180°