The Pythagorean Theorem: A 4,000-Year HistoryAn exploration of one of the most celebrated and well-known theorems in mathematics |
From inside the book
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... Four Pythagorean Brainteasers 197. 15. But Is It Universal? 201. 16. Afterthoughts 208 Epilogue: Samos, 2005 213 219 221 223 227 Appendixes A. How did the Babylonians Approximate 2 ? B. Pythagorean Triples C. Sums of Two Squares D. A Proof ...
... four hundred proofs of it are known, and their number is still growing; the list includes an original proof by a future American president, another by twelve-year-old Albert Einstein, and still another by a young blind girl. Some of ...
... In this book I have traced the evolution of the Pythagorean theorem and its impact on mathematics and on our culture in general, starting with the Babylonians nearly four thousand years ago and continuing up to our xiv Preface ❖
A 4,000-Year History Eli Maor. lonians nearly four thousand years ago and continuing up to our own time. I have not attempted to give a comprehensive account of the hundreds of existing proofs—a nearly impossible task, and a fruitless ...
... four thousand years earlier. It is here that our story really begins. Notes and Sources 1. This is a free quotation based on the New York Times article of June 24, 1993, p. D22. Wiles's exact words were not reported. 2. Fermat's famous ...
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 |