An event at the Dome, November 29th, 2000
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The Death of
Distance: from Pythagoras to Galileo An event at the Dome, November 29th, 2000 |
Ancient Greeks
Pythagoras' theorem
Born:
about 569 BC in Samos, Ionia Died: about 475 BC
"The square on the hypotenuse equals the sum of
the squares on the other two sides."
or
An Indian chief had three
wives who were preparing to give birth, one on a buffalo hide, one on a bear
hide and the third on a hippopotamus hide. In due course, the first gave him a
son, the second a daughter, and the third, twins, a boy and a girl, thereby
illustrating the well known theorem that the squaw on the hippopotamus is equal
to the sum of the squaws on the other two hides.
quoted from
The Penguin Book of Curious and Interesting Mathematics, by David
Wells.
A proof of a²+b²=c²
Can you see how this diagram proves Pythagoras' theorem?
Another proof
Can you see how this diagram proves Pythagoras' theorem?
Pythagoras' table
The diagram shows, above left, two square table tops.
These can be divided as shown top right. Using the separate pieces at bottom
left, can you rearrange them into one larger square?
The pieces at bottom
right show a possible solution.