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The Pythagorean Theorem is used for determining the length of the third side of a right-angled triangle when you know the lengths of the other two sides. The theorem is stated as: the square of the hypoteneuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides, or a^2 + b^2 = c^2 where a is the height, b is the base and c is the hypoteneuse.

2006-08-05 08:09:43 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1 0

The people here are only stating half of the Pythagorean Theorem. They are telling you that:

If you have a right triangle, then the square of the hypoteneuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. That is:

c^2 = a^2 + b^2

where a and b are the lengths of the two sides that make up the 90 degree angle and c is the length of the side that is opposite the angle.

But the theorem goes both ways. If this relationship holds, then the triangle is a right triangle.

2006-08-05 12:23:04 · answer #2 · answered by Ranto 7 · 0 0

Pythagoras Theorum

(pÄ­thăg´rs) , c.582—c.507 , pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, founder of the Pythagorean school. He migrated from his native Samos to Crotona and established a secret religious society or order similar to, and possibly influenced by, the earlier Orphic cult. We know little of his life and nothing of his writings. Since his disciples came to worship him as a demigod and to attribute all the doctrines of their order to its founder, it is virtually impossible to distinguish his teachings from those of his followers. The Pythagoreans are best known for two teachings: the transmigration of souls and the theory that numbers constitute the true nature of things. The believers performed purification rites and followed moral, ascetic, and dietary rules to enable their souls to achieve a higher rank in their subsequent lives and thus eventually be liberated from the "wheel of birth." This belief also led them to regard the sexes as equal, to treat slaves humanely, and to respect animals. The highest purification was "philosophy," and tradition credits Pythagoras with the first use of the term. Beginning with the discovery that the relationship between musical notes could be expressed in numerical ratios (see Greek music), the Pythagoreans elaborated a theory of numbers, the exact meaning of which is still disputed by scholars. Briefly, they taught that all things were numbers, meaning that the essence of things was number, and that all relationships–even abstract ethical concepts like justice–could be expressed numerically. They held that numbers set a limit to the unlimited–thus foreshadowing the distinction between form and matter that plays a key role in all later philosophy. The Pythagoreans were influential mathematicians and geometricians, and the theorem that bears their name is witness to their influence on the initial part of Euclidian geometry. They made important contributions to medicine and astronomy and were among the first to teach that the earth was a spherical planet, revolving about a fixed point. At the end of the 5th cent. the Pythagoreans were forced to flee Magna Graecia when people grew enraged at their interference with traditional religious customs; many were killed. A short-lived Neo-Pythagoreanism developed at the beginning of the Christian era; it borrowed some elements from Jewish and Hellenistic thought and greatly emphasized the mystical element in Pythagorean ideas.

2006-08-05 00:56:00 · answer #3 · answered by ? 6 · 0 0

Pythagorean Theorem

c^2 = a^2 + b^2

c= hypothenus (the side opposite the right angle)
a & b = the 2 sides of the triangle

2006-08-05 07:40:33 · answer #4 · answered by just me 4 · 0 0

The square on the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides. :]

2006-08-05 00:53:25 · answer #5 · answered by Sorcha 6 · 0 0

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