Square the circle?
What is a formula of the area of a square? How do you find the area of a circle? With these two formulas in your mind, would you be able to " square the circle " ?
In a literal sense, " square the circle " means construct a square equal in area to a given circle. Squaring the circle is a classical mathematical problem proposed by ancient Greek geometers. For thousands of years, mathematicians have attempted to solve this challenging problem. One of the oldest methods was recorded in the Rhind papyrus, an ancient Egyptian mathematical script of about 1800 BC. Despite their continuous efforts, mathematicians have found some approximate solutions only.
Since there has been no success in squaring the circle by using only straightedge and compass, this expression has been used metaphorically to describe a problem which is very difficult to solve. If someone tries to square the circle, this means that they try to make two things happen which cannot really happen at the same time.
Some parents find that making their children be creative and be obedient is like squaring the circle.
正方形面積的方程式是甚麼？你怎樣找出圓形的面積？如果你懂得這兩個方程式，你能否化圓為方（square the circle）？
從字面意義來看，square the circle 的意思是構造跟已知圓形的面積相等的正方形。化圓為方是古希臘幾何學家所提出的一個經典數學難題。數千年以來，數學家曾經嘗試解決這個具挑戰性的問題。其中一個最古老的方法被記錄在公元前1800年左右的一張古埃及數學手稿—— 萊因德紙草書。儘管數學家們不斷努力，但是只找到了一些近似解決方法。
由於人們一直未能成功地只用直尺和圓規化圓為方，這個說法被用作比喻，描述一個極難解決的問題。如果有人嘗試化圓為方，這意指他們嘗試使兩件不能真正同時發生的事情成真。
有些家長覺得，要使自己的子女既有創造力又聽話，就好像是知其不可而為之（squaring the circle）。
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