  We use lattice techniques to calculate the continuum string tensions of SU(N)
gauge theories in 2+1 dimensions. We attempt to control all systematic errors
at a level that allows us to perform a precise test of the analytic prediction
of Karabali, Kim and Nair. We find that their prediction is within 3% of our
values for all N and that the discrepancy decreases with increasing N. When we
extrapolate our results to N=oo we find that there remains a discrepancy of ~
1%, which is a convincing ~6 sigma effect. Thus, while the Karabali-Nair
analysis is remarkably accurate at N=oo, it is not exact.
