Should the Pythagorean Theorem Actually be Called the 'Pythagorean' Theorem
This paper investigates whether it is reasonable to bestow credit to one person or group for the famed theorem that relates to the side lengths of any right-angled triangle, a theorem routinely referred to as the “Pythagorean Theorem”. The author investigates the first-documented occurrences of the...
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| Language: | en_ca |
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2013
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1807/43260 |
| Summary: | This paper investigates whether it is reasonable to bestow credit to one person or group for the famed theorem that relates to the side lengths of any right-angled triangle, a theorem routinely referred to as the “Pythagorean Theorem”. The author investigates the first-documented occurrences of the theorem, along with its first proofs. In addition, proofs that stem from different branches of mathematics and science are analyzed in an effort to display that credit for the development of the theorem should be shared amongst its many contributors rather than crediting the whole of the theorem to one man and his supporters. |
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