For the purpose of teaching young school kids how to substitute real values for constants/variables, does it matter? π is a constant, but the value you use for it in exams and real life will not be the same, or the actual correct value. Getting students used to the idea that even constants can have varying values in exams or software is useful.
In my exams π had values ranging from 3, 3.1 to whatever the calculator had. g also ranged from 9.8 to 10, although in fairness g is not a constant.
At least setting it to 5 can spark debate around what a more reasonable approximation should be.
It's just assuming that π is 5 in this specific scenario, just like it's reasonable to assume the existence of a spherical cow in a frictionless environment. Yeah, if you use the results of this problem to develop a real cylinder you're going to have a bad time but nobody is doing that all what's the problem?
Nobody is saying that from this point in time and going forward π = 5 and now math is broken forever. People need to chill
If it's teaching grade school kids, I would argue it is problematic, only as to not draw confusion on reassigning π away from it's widely accepted consistent value of ~3.14 for most applications. Once you start getting into theoretical physics and the like, that's a different story. Math is already a tough subject for many kids and this would just throw another wrench into the learning curve. I'd argue to only start debating the fundamentals and theory after a firm grasp of the fundamentals has been established and practiced repeatedly, preferably in upper level courses.
minor nitpick but the value of π is technically a parameter of the space you are operating in . which means it can have any arbitrary value as long as you are willing to operate in non euclidean spaces (and the space we live in is not euclidean though not to a measurable extent unless you are near a black hole)
but yeah in this context saying π is a constant is as correct as saying you cant take a square root out of a negative number .
edit : possibly better example is that a triangle's angles sum to 180°
Or 10, whatever. The precise value is only relevant when measuring the curve of space, and they'll still disagree with mathematicians on most of the digits.
As a dyscalculic, I can't solve this but I don't see a problem here... I see all you people freaking out that the little symbol thing equals five but it's a little symbol thing haha it doesn't have to be pie haha it could be a little symbol thing.