MathDB
Problems
Contests
Undergraduate contests
Putnam
1950 Putnam
B2
B2
Part of
1950 Putnam
Problems
(1)
Putnam 1950 B2
Source:
5/25/2022
Two obvious approximations to the length of the perimeter of the ellipse with semi-axes
a
a
a
and
b
b
b
are
π
(
a
+
b
)
\pi (a + b)
π
(
a
+
b
)
and
2
π
(
a
b
)
1
/
2
.
2 \pi (ab)^{1/2}.
2
π
(
ab
)
1/2
.
Which one comes nearer the truth when the ratio
b
/
a
b/a
b
/
a
is very close to
1
?
1?
1
?
Putnam