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Pythagoras was an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician credited with founding Pythagoreanism, a secretive philosophical and religious brotherhood that emphasized the importance of numbers, mathematics, and the transmigration of souls. Born on the island of Samos, he later settled in Croton, Italy, where he established his school. His teachings, which integrated spiritual beliefs with mathematical principles like the Pythagorean theorem, profoundly influenced later philosophers like Plato and Aristotle and contributed to the development of Western philosophy.
When it comes to triangles, you have to be right!
A right triangle is one that has one 90 degree angle, or right angle.
a and b are the shorter legs, and the longest side of a right triangle (the one across from the right angle) is called the hypotenuse! It's always labelled side c!
NOTE!
It's important that when you NAME the SIDES of a triangle, you get the HYPOTENUSE right!
The LONGEST SIDE, or hypotenuse, is the one OPPOSITE the RIGHT ANGLE (the 90 degree one)!
side "a" and "b" can be either of the shorter sides!
More about the Man, the Myth, the Legend... known as Pythagorus!
The inner circle of Pythagoras's school, known as the Mathematikoi, operated less like a modern university and more like a secretive, deeply disciplined religious cult. Pythagoras was treated as a semi-divine figure, and his followers bound themselves to strict rules, bizarre taboos, and oaths of absolute secrecy.
Here is a glimpse inside the secretive world of the Pythagorean cult:
Strict Rules and Lifestyle
Communal Property: Upon joining the inner circle, initiates had to surrender all their personal wealth and worldly possessions to the community.
The Five-Year Vow of Silence: New members had to observe absolute silence for their first five years. They were only allowed to listen to Pythagoras speak from behind a curtain, unable to see his face until they proved their discipline and loyalty.
Strict Vegetarianism: Animals were believed to possess human souls due to reincarnation, so eating meat was strictly forbidden.
Bizarre Taboos
Pythagoras instituted a list of strictly enforced behavioral rules (akousmata) that seem eccentric today:
The Bean Ban: Pythagoreans were strictly forbidden from eating, touching, or even walking through fields of fava beans. Pythagoras believed beans contained the souls of the dead and caused a loss of vital breath. Legend even claims he allowed himself to be caught and killed by political enemies rather than escape through a bean field.
Daily Rituals: Followers were forbidden from letting a swallow nest on their roof, stepping over a crossbar, or stirring a fire with a knife.
Symmetry in Dressing: They were instructed to always put their right shoe on first, but always wash their left foot first.
Absolute Secrecy
The teachings of the school were strictly oral and protected by an oath of silence. Revealing a mathematical secret to the outside world was considered a capital sin.
According to historical lore, a follower named Hippasus discovered the concept of irrational numbers (like the square root of 2). This shattered the cult's core religious belief that the universe was made up entirely of perfect, whole integers. To protect their divine doctrine, the Pythagoreans allegedly took Hippasus out to sea and drowned him.
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