Does anyone know anything about Pythagoras?

Question

I need to know when he made the pythtagorean theorem or what ever. Detailed answers would be nice. :)

Answer 1

The Babylonians of 1800 BC, 1300 years before Pythagoras were familiar with the theorem that has come to bear his name.

We know this because a number of Pythagorean Triples (integer solutions to the theorem) have been found on a clay tablet known as Plimpton 322, referring to the fact that it is tablet number 322 in the G.A. Plimpton Collection at Columbia University.

The tablet has a table of four columns and 15 rows of numbers in the cuneiform script of the period. It is believed to have been written about 1800 BC in Babylonia. The table appears to be a listing of Pythagorean triples, whole numbers that are a solution to the Pythagorean theorem, a^2 + b^2 = c^2, such as (3,4,5).

The Babylonians used a sexagesimal number system (base 60) and the numbers on the Plimpton 322 tablet are written in that system.

Some other examples of Pythagorean Triples are (5, 12, 13) and (8, 15, 17) and (20, 21, 29)

THE MAN
Pythagoras (Πυθαγόρας) of Samos was born in 582 BC and died in 507 BC, He was an Ionian (Greek) mathematician and philosopher, founder of the mystic, religious and scientific society called Pythagoreans. He is best known for the Pythagorean theorem which bears his name. Known as "the father of numbers", Pythagoras made influential contributions to philosophy and religious teaching in the late 6th century BC. Because legend and obfuscation cloud his work, one can say little with confidence about his life and teachings. We do know that Pythagoras and his students believed that everything was related to mathematics and, through mathematics, everything could be predicted and measured in rhythmic patterns or cycles.

As a young man, he left his native city for Crotone in Southern Italy, to escape the tyrannical government of Polycrates.
Upon his migration from Samos to Crotone, Pythagoras established a secret religious society very similar to (and possibly influenced by) the earlier Orphic cult.

THE PYTHAGOREANS

Pythagoras undertook a reform of the cultural life of Crotone, urging the citizens to follow virtue and form an elite circle of followers around himself. Very strict rules of conduct governed this cultural center. He opened his school to male and female students alike.

Those who joined the inner circle of Pythagoras's society called themselves the Mathematikoi. They lived at the school, owned no personal possessions and were required to assume a vegetarian diet.

Other students who lived in neighboring areas were also permitted to attend Pythagoras's school. Known as Akousmatics, these students were permitted to eat meat and own personal belongings.

According to Iamblichus, the Pythagoreans followed a structured life of religious teaching, common meals, exercise, reading and philosophical study. Music featured as an essential organizing factor of this life: the disciples would sing hymns to Apollo together regularly; they used the lyre to cure illness of the soul or body; poetry recitations occurred before and after sleep to aid the memory.

The Pythagoreans are known for their theory of the transmigration of souls. It was the Pythagoreans who discovered that the relationship between musical notes could be expressed in numerical ratios of small whole numbers

Answer 2

Here's an entire article about him from Wikipedia (see link)

As for when he invented the Theorem:

"The history of the Pythagorean theorem that bears his name is complex. Whether Pythagoras himself proved this theorem is not known, as it was common in the ancient world to credit to a famous teacher the discoveries of his students. The earliest known mention of Pythagoras's name in connection with the theorem occurred five centuries after his death, in the writings of Cicero and Plutarch. It is also believed that the Indian mathematician Baudhayana discovered the Pythagorean Theorem around 800 BC, about 300 years before Pythagoras."

Answer 3

Pythagoras is known to have lived between 580-500 BC. His teachings in both rational philosophy and mathematics is known to have influenced both Plato and Aristotle. He founded a famous school of philosphy and mathematics during his time. And his students came to be known as Pythogoreans. His writings have not survived. So we only known about him through the works attributed to him by his students.
Now, the theorem in Geometry concerning Right-Angled Triangles that is attributed to him by Europeans was niether discovered by him, nor was he the first to prove it. That theorem was well known in India as Sulaba-Sutra. There are alternative mathematical proofs in Indian works for that theorem. It was also known in many other cultures including perhaps in Arabia which formed a bridge between Europe and India. So what became known as Arabic number system to Europeans, is known to Arabs as Hindu number system, they having originated in India. Some scholars claim that pythogoras might have even visited India. Though we cannot be certain.
About his other works, pythogoras is nown to have been responsible for discovering how music is a set of frequencies of sound heard in a pattren. Something he realise while watching workers hammer stones and the rythemic sounds which different hammers were making. So he is known to have invented a system for tuning musical instruements called "Pythogorean Tuning". Before this it was done by trail and error.
During his early years he is known to have immigrated to Italy fleeing intellectual persecution from Samos and after which he established his acadamy (mentioned above) at Croton. He is also known to have been religious.
There is an interesting story in the book "Fermat's Last Theorem" by Simon Singh, in which pythogoras is known to have put one of his students to death after the student prooved the existance of irrarional number. Pythogoras could not argue with it. But it went against his idea of numbers and their 'rationality' and 'divinity'. It is not known how true this story is.
I hope all the info abbove is found useful.

Answer 4

Pythagoraus was really into witchcraft when he discovered "his" therom. According to the book "History of pi", the theorem for right triangles was known to every rope stretcher "surveyor" along the Nile a thousand years before Pythagorus was born, and it was probably know a long time before that.
So I guess your answer is that no one knows who discovered the "Pythagorean theorem" because the Pythagorean theorem was invented a thousand years before Pythagorus was born

Answer 5

Pythagoras was born about 570 B.C. on the island of Samos, ...


See the source for the whole story, about a quarter of the way down the page.

Answer 6

Here is a pretty detailed biography of Pythagoras that should be of help to you.

Answer 7

pythagoras was a greek mathmatician who did work on triangles. the devolped the pythagoreum theurum to find out the hypotenuse of a right triangle.

Answer 8

Historically he is an ancient Greek mathematician. I am quite sure that any encyclopedia will turn up lots of biographical details.

Answer 9

Ever hear of "Google"? It's a great, wise, search engine that can answer your questions much faster, and more thorough than anyone here can.

Answer 10

(or whatever?)

So what do you want. His life work? Has anyone ever shown you how to research a topic correctly?

Hint: this ain't it.

Pythagoras smoked pot. There, you happy? Go put that in your report.