Kruh v egyptské matematice

Abstract

The article analyzes five exercises (R50, R48, R41, R42 and R43) from the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus (de-posited in the British Museum) that comes from the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt and is one of the best known examples of ancient Egyptian mathematics. One exercise (K2) from the Kahun Mathematical Papyrus (British Museum) is also discussed. The exercise R50 shows how Egyptian scribes calculated the area of a cir-cle with a given diameter. The exercise R48 compares the area of a circle with a given diameter to that of its cir-cumscribing square. Four other exercises demonstrate how to calculate the volume of a cylindrical grain silo with a given diameter and height. The author explains the algorithm which was used by Egyptian calculators. He also offers three ways how they could find a fairly accurate calculation, and how they approximated the value for π and compared Egyptian approximation with the approximation using by Babylonian scribes as well as Greek mathematicians.