What is Squaring the circle?
[[File:Squaring the circle.png|thumb|right|A circle and a square, with the same area]] '''Squaring the circle''' is a [[problem]] of [[geometry]]. The problem is to construct a [[square (geometry)|square]] that has the same area as the [[unit circle]], only by using a [[compass and straightedge]] construction method. Some people also call this problem the [[numerical integration|quadrature]] of the circle. This is ''not'' about a circle with corners like a square. It is a problem like squaring a triangle. It is easy to construct a square with the same area as a triangle. Squaring the circle is related to the other ancient problems which have been proved impossible, [[squaring the cube]] and [[trisecting the angle]]. In 1882, [[Ferdinand von Lindenmann]] proved that this cannot be done because it is impossible to calculate √[[pi|π]] exactly, because it is a [[transcendental number]]. {{Math-stub}} [[Category:Geometry]]