The history of the Pythagorean Theorem

6 Jan 2020

The history of the Pythagorean Theorem

The history of the Pythagorean TheoremWe know that the Pythagorean theorem deals with the lengths of the sides of a right triangle.
It is often written in the form of the equation:

a^2 + b^2 = c^2

What is the theorem?

The sum of the squares of the lengths of the legs of a right triangle ('a' and 'b' in the triangle shown below) is equal to the square of the length of the hypotenuse ('c').

What is the history of the theorem?

Although the theorem has come to be associated with the Greek mathematician-philosopher Pythagoras (570 - 495 BCE), it is actually far older.
 	The theorem is mentioned in the Baudhayana Sulba-sutra of India, which was written between 800 and 400 BCE.
 	The theorem also finds mention in the Chinese Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Procedures, compiled in the 1st Century CE.

Who was Pythagoras?

Pythagoras of Samos was a famous Greek mathematician and philosopher (570 – 495 BC).
 	He is best known for the proof of the important Pythagorean theorem, which is about right-angle triangles.
 	He also had a great impact on the theory of music and astronomy.
 	He started a group of mathematicians, called the Pythagoreans, who worshiped numbers and lived like monks.

Pythagoras believed that the physical world was mathematical in nature and that numbers were the real reality.

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