23.09.1979OTTOMAR ZIMMERMANN (71)MODELLBAUMEISTER, WIRD AM 23.09.1979 UM EIN GESPRÄCH ÜBER DAS PI-PHÄNOMEN BITTEN

Ottomar Zimmermann (71)
Model builder
will on
23 September 1979
6.00 p.m.
invite you
to a conversation about the pi phenomenon,
to which he is cordially invited.

Dear Professors and Doctors of Mathematics!
Dear Ladies! Dear Gentlemen!

Despite the definition by the German mathematician Ferdinand Lindemann (1882), that the mathematical quantity designated by pi, later called the Ludolphine number, represents the result of the calculation of the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle, the search for its final value has not ceased.

Even if, contrary to the prevailing scientific opinion, you believe in a rational value as the ratio of the diameter to the circumference of a circle, and perhaps even find no peace over the problem, you are hereby cordially invited to an open discussion.

I would like to convince you with the rational value 3.1415926535928, discovered by me on 1 October 1976, that the circle number pi is rational. It was discovered 2,476 years after Pythagoras and 2,188 years after Archimedes. Ten Pythagorean number triples and the Ludolphine number as a lower limit led to the discovery of the “truth,” which had eluded discovery for so long. Between the number 3.1415926535928 and the so-called Ludolphine number there is a difference of 3 billionths, and the circumference of the Earth calculated with it is 39/1000 mm larger than when calculated with the Ludolphine number.

I am prepared to provide proof and expect only understanding, openness, and an unbiased reception. I am ready to ensure that no doubt remains concerning the correctness of the discovered “truth.”

Should it turn out that you agree with me that the “truth” has now become evident, then logically the terms “incommensurable, irrational, and transcendental” in connection with the concept “circle number” are obsolete and belong to the past.

In the interest of the science of mathematics, it would be desirable if the discussion resulted in confirmation or in proof of error. All participants are invited to form their own opinions through the discovery. Quotations from existing literature can serve as comparative assessments.

I hope for an open-minded discussion and look forward to welcoming you, as seekers of confirmation.

Most sincerely,
Ottomar Zimmermann
(from Hamburg, Germany)

Jean Sellem