The 'Obliteration Phenomenon' in Science — and the Advantage of Being Obliterated!

What if “pi” were a recent discovery? How would journals publicize it, and how would the educational system absorb it?

“Once the discovery had been reported in a contemporary journal, mathematicians could be expected to begin using and citing Archimedes? constant… While the term Archimedes? constant would become increasingly familiar even to school children, scientists themselves would begin citing Archimedes? primordial paper less and less, until finally citations to it would be dropped, and the idea of citing it at all would finally disappear. While Archimedes? constant would survive, his original paper would, in terms of citation analysis, have been obliterated.” Eugene Garfield —The ‘Obliteration Phenomenon’ in Science — and the Advantage of Being Obliterated!Essays of an Information Scientist [PDF])