The Pythagorean Theorem: A 4,000-Year HistoryAn exploration of one of the most celebrated and well-known theorems in mathematics |
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... equals the combined volume in the other two. But there is another reason for the universal appeal of the Pythagorean theorem, for it is arguably the most frequently used theorem in all of mathematics. Open any handbook of mathematical ...
... equal to that of a modern eight-digit calculator.1 But even more remarkable is the probable purpose of this particular document: by all likelihood, it was intended as an example of how to find the diagonal of any square: simply multiply ...
... equal to (c/a)2. Several questions immediately arise: Is the order of entries in the table random, or does it follow some hidden pattern? How did the Babylonians find those particular numbers that form Pythagorean triples? And why were ...
... equal and uniform slope.3 But the Pythagorean theorem? Not once. Of course, the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, as archeologists like to point out. Still, in all likelihood the Rhind Papyrus represented a summary of the ...
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Contents
1 | |
4 | |
2 Pythagoras | 17 |
3 Euclids Elements | 32 |
4 Archimedes | 50 |
5 Translators and Commentators 5001500 CE | 57 |
6 François Viète Makes History | 76 |
7 From the Infinite to the Infinitesimal | 82 |
12 From Flat Space to Curved Spacetime | 168 |
13 Prelude to Relativity | 181 |
14 From Bern to Berlin 19051915 | 188 |
15 But Is It Universal? | 201 |
16 Afterthoughts | 208 |
Samos 2005 | 213 |
Appendixes | 219 |
Chronology | 245 |
8 371 Proofs and Then Some | 98 |
9 A Theme and Variations | 123 |
10 Strange Coordinates | 145 |
11 Notation Notation Notation | 158 |
Bibliography | 251 |
Illustrations Credits | 255 |
Index | 257 |