William Shanks
Amateur mathematician and school owner (1812–1882) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the Scottish artist, see William Somerville Shanks.
William Shanks (25 January 1812 – June 1882)[1] was an English amateur mathematician. He is famous for his calculation of π to 707 places in 1873, which was correct up to the first 527 places.[2] The error was discovered in 1944 by D. F. Ferguson (using a mechanical desk calculator).[2] Nevertheless, Shanks's approximation was the longest expansion of π until the advent of the digital electronic computer in the 1940s.
Quick Facts Born, Died ...
William Shanks | |
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Born | (1812-01-25)25 January 1812 Corsenside, Northumberland, England |
Died | June 1882 (aged 70) Houghton-le-Spring, County Durham, England |
Scientific career | |
Fields | schoolmaster, mathematician |
Institutions | School at Houghton-le-Spring |
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