π and 1 Kings 7:23

My friend Gavin brought to my attention what looks like an error in 1 Kings 7:23. It concerns a circumference calculation. For the calculation the number 3 seems to be used for the usual 3.14 of pi( π ). So what gives?

Bear in mind any number can be rounded to any level of precision desired; one can round π to the nearest ten and get zero. Rounding it to the nearest unit, giving 3, makes perfectly good sense if that is what you want to do.

The real question is, what is lost if one rounds π down to 3? We are reducing its value by .14/3.14 = 4.5%, and so any calculations we make will have that much error; but for many purposes that would be perfectly acceptable.

Whenever we work with π we are rounding it to some number of digits, so all such calculations are inaccurate. The only issue is how much accuracy we need for a particular application.

The Bible at 1 Kings 7:23 does not state that π = 3.0. It states that a particular object (the circular basin in front of the Jerusalem Temple) had a diameter of 10 cubits and a circumference of 30 cubits. So the correct question is not, "Is it proper to round pi to 3.0?" but "Is it proper to round the circumference of this circle to 30 cubits?" Or better, "Are a diameter of 10 cubits and a circumference of 30 cubits consistent within reasonable measurement error?"

We do not know the precision of the measuring instruments used to measure the diameter and circumference of this circle. But here is what would naturally be understood if one saw this figure in a scientific journal: in the absence of an explicit indication of precision, the absence of a tenths digit implies that the figure is accurate to the nearest 1 cubit - that is, plus or minus 0.5 cubit.

So let's suppose that the diameter was measured, or specified in the design, to be 10 cubits plus or minus 0.5 cubit. Then the actual circumference would be 29.8 to 32.98 cubits --- based on a diameter in the range from 9.5 to 10.5 cubits. If we make the same assumption about the precision of the circumference measurement, we get a range of 29.5 to 30.5 cubits. Notice that the two ranges have considerable overlap.

There is therefore no inconsistency between the diameter and the circumference as reported in the Bible at 1 Kings 7:23 .

So, it would appear God permits a reasonable range in such calculations:)