David Boothroyd writes
"Pedant" is an insult directed by the inaccurate against the accurate.
No, it's an accurate description for people who indulge in irrelevant
nit-picking.
Precise enough for the purpose of the subject under discussion.
I suppose you would say the same if your son was marked down for writing
that Pi was 3.
That's just being stupid.
For most purposes 3.14159 is acceptable. For other purposes a more
precise value may be required. 22/7 is also generally acceptable as
'shorthand', although imprecise.
I could point out that the accepted value of Pi has varied through time
- including a period when it was '3' - but that would be just pedantic.
http://mathforum.org/isaac/problems/pi2.html
However, there is little to be gained from this discussion if you wish
to make ridiculous comparisons.
--
Dave