祖冲之(429-500)是南北朝时代南朝的科学家。他推算的圆周率比欧洲早一千多年。他编制的《大明历》首先考虑到岁差问题的计算,对于日月运行周期的数据比当时的其他历法更为准确。然而,有谁能相信,这样一位伟大的科学家,小时候经常挨打,曾被斥责为“笨蛋”“蠢牛”呢! 祖冲之的父亲祖朔之,是位小官员。他望子成龙心切。祖冲之不到9岁,父亲就逼迫冲之去背诵深奥难懂的《论语》,读一段,就叫他 Zu Chongzhi (429-500) was a scientist during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. He calculated the pi rate more than a thousand years earlier than in Europe. His “Ming dynasty” first took into account the calculation of the precession issue, and made more accurate data on the cycle of the sun and the moon than other calendars then. However, anyone can believe that such a great scientist was often beaten when he was a child and was once rebuked as a “stupid” or “stupid cow.” Zu Shouzhi, Zu Chongzhi’s father, is a small official. His eagerness to build a dragon Zu Chong less than 9 years old, his father forced to rushed to recite the esoteric “Analects of Confucius”, read a period, called him