Zu Chongzhi (Chinese: 祖沖之; 429 – 500[1]), courtesy nameWenyuan (Chinese: 文遠), was a Chinese astronomer, inventor, mathematician, politician, and writer during the Liu Song and Southern Qi dynasties. He was most notable for calculating pi as between 3.1415926 and 3.1415927, a record in precision which would not be surpassed for nearly 900 years.
^Zu's biography in Book of the Southern Qi indicate that he was 72 (by East Asian reckoning) when he died in the 2nd year of the Yong'yuan era of Xiao Baojuan's reign. (永元二年，冲之卒。年七十二。) Nan Qi Shu, vol.52
