Indiana Pi Bill Fiasco

In 1897, Indiana physician Edward J. Goodwin claimed to have discovered a mathematical proof for squaring the circle. He persuaded a state legislator to introduce a bill declaring the value of ? to be 3.2, with the idea that Indiana schools could use the proof for free while other states would pay a fee. Although the bill passed the Indiana House, the Senate ultimately rejected it after a professor pointed out its absurdity.

Previous Fact Next Fact