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In any right-angled triangle the square on the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides. | ![]() |
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PYTHAGORAS HISTORICAL PROFILE
Notes on Pythagoras |
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Pythagorus' theorem is one of the most important theorems in the whole realm of geometry.
It is known in history as the 47th proposition in the first book of Euclid's Elements. |
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The Greek text follows/Latin/English.
There are many demonstrations/ proofs of this famous theorem. |
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The practical application of this theorem was known long before the time of Pythagorus but it is thought that he generalised it from an Egyptian rule of thumb. The method Pythagorus used for the general case remains unknown to us. It is undecided whether Pythagoras himself discovered this famous property of the right triangle, or learned it from Egyptian priests or took it from Babylon. He first demonstrated a general proof around 540 BC from which time it is generally known as the Pythagoras' theorem. (Pythagorean proposition [see Proof 1]). This famous theorem has always been a favourite with geometricians. | ![]() |
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According to one most widely disseminated opinion, Pythagorus learned from the Egyptian priests the characteristics of the [3;4;5] triangle in which one leg =3 (designating Osiris), the second = 4 (designating Isis), and the hypotenuse = 5 (designating Horus): for which reason such triangle itself is also named Egyptian triangle or Pythagorean triangle and the set of numbers [3,4,5] is often called Pythagorean triad or Pythagorean triplet. | ![]() |
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