Lord Brouncker's forgotten sequence of continued fractions for pi
Author:
Thomas J. Osler a
| Affiliation: | a Mathematics Department, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ 08028, USA |
DOI:
10.1080/00207390903189195
Publication Frequency:
8 issues per year
First Published on:
03 November 2009
Subjects:
Educational Research;
Engineering Education;
Mathematics;
Mathematics & Numeracy;
Mathematics Education;
Science Education;
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Abstract
'Lord Brouncker's continued fraction for π' is a well-known result. In this article, we show that Brouncker found not only this one continued fraction, but an entire infinite sequence of related continued fractions for π. These were recorded in the Arithmetica Infinitorum by John Wallis, but appear to have been ignored and forgotten by modern mathematicians. We identify these continued fractions and give a modern derivation.
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| Keywords: continued fractions; Lord Brouncker; John Wallis; pi |
| view references (9) |

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