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Name: mike f frain
Status: N/A
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: Around 1995

How did Pythagoras come up with his theorem for calculating the hypotenuse of a right triangle to be a^2 + b^2 = c^2? I mean, how did he formulate it?

According to Sir Thomas L. Heath ( in Vol I of "the thirteen books of Euclid's Elements," now apparently out of print ) we are not sure just how he formulated it since our historical documents do not go back that far. The book mentioned gives several possibilities and speculates that the result may predate the Pythagorean era (India). Let me suggest that you check a local library for this or other similar sources. In my system the call letters would be QA (21 or 22 area). If necessary, your librarian can translate to a different system.


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