Discovery of Pythagorean Theorem

The Pythagorean theorem states that for a right triangle the square of the length of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the two remaining sides.

Among the many classical Greek schools of mathematics and philosophy the Pythagorean was the oldest and most venerable.

Pythagoras was born around 570 BC. Tradition has it that he came from the island of Samos and traveled widely before he established his school in Crotona in Southern Italy. He learned mathematics from Thales (624-547 BC), traditionally regarded as the founder of Greek mathematics.

In Egypt and Babylonia he absorbed the lore of mysticism and also learned the laws of numbers and geometry.

A legend says that Pythagoras discovered his theorem by observing a tiles floor in the place of Polycrates, the tyrant of Samos. However, many said that he did not discover the theorem.

The story of Pythagorean theorem begins long before that, at least as far as back 1800 BC in Babylonia. Pythagoras’s name became attached to the theorem because he was reputedly he first person to provide such a proof.
Discovery of Pythagorean Theorem