How Did Pythagoras Contribute To Modern Algebra

The creations of Pythagoras were very powerful during the era in which he lived in. He created a community of followers (known as the Pythagoreans) who believed that mathematics was fundamental and ‘at the heart of reality’ (source 1). The people in the society were all proficient mathematicians took mathematics very seriously, to the extent that it was similar to a religion (source 1).

Pythagoras made influential contributions to philosophy and religion in the late 6th century BC. He is often revered as a great mathematician and scientist and is best known for the Pythagorean theorem which relates the two sides of a triangle to the hypotenuse using the formula a squared plus b squared equals c squared. However, because legend and obfuscation cloud his work even more than that of other pre-Socratic philosophers, one can give only a tentative account of his teachings, and some have questioned whether he contributed much to mathematics or natural philosophy. Many of the accomplishments credited to Pythagoras may actually have been accomplishments of his colleagues and successors. Some accounts mention that the philosophy associated with Pythagoras was related to mathematics and that numbers were

Pythagoras was born in 570 BCE. at Samos, Ionia, a city located in Greece . His mother being Pythais and his father is Mnesarchus. Not much was known about him because of the lack of written information on him. Pythagoras received a good education during his childhood, such as reciting homer, learning poetry, and playing musical instruments. Scholars come to believe that he got his astronomy from Anaximander and his mathematical/geometry knowledge from Miletos. Overall his mentor was Thales, he was the one to encourage Pythagoras to continue his studies and travel to Egypt. He developed a strong belief in numbers/mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy.

Pythagoras also contributed to the music world. He expressed the musical harmony in formulas. He created a scale layout with gongs in different sizes and he proved that in the resonance of the gongs he hit, 1 octave interval is equal to 2:1 proportion, the perfect fifth is equal to 3:2 proportion, perfect four is equal to 4:3 proportion and whole notes are equal to 9:8. This, later started to be known as “Pythagorean Tuning.”

Greek mathematical and scientific ideas have also been a large contribution. Euclid, a Greek mathematician, wrote many theorems. His theorems have been very substantial because they are included in today’s mathematical problems. One of his theorems include “If two straight lines cut one another, the vertical, or opposite, angles shall be equal.” This specific theorem is used in proofs and it proves that all vertical angles are equal. Hippocrates was a Greek physician who created the Hippocratic Oath. This oath

Hipparchus was a greek astronomer, geographer, and mathematician born 190 B.C. in Nicaea and died in 120 B.C. Rhodes, Rhodes, Greece. Hipparchus is accredited as the inventor of trigonometry because of his discovery of the first table of chords and also because he's the only person with valid data of the discovery and usage of trigonometry. In order to calculate the rising and setting of zodiacal signs, Hipparchus brought to light the division of circles into 360 degrees and the calculation of chords by looking at the triangles (spherical triangles or triangles that made up a circle) differently. Hipparchus experimented putting all triangles to be within a circle and with the three points each touching the

One of Thales’ most renounced findings include his discovery in geometric studies in the area reading the rules of triangles. He came to the conclusion that if the base angles of an isosceles triangle are equal, the sum of the angles of a triangle are equivalent to two right angles. With the application of “geometric principles to life situations, Thales was able to calculate the height of a pyramid by measuring its shadow, and the distance of a boat to the shore, by using the concept of similar triangles” (pg. 5, Muehlbauer). Realizations such as these helped shape the beginning for the formation of natural law based on observations of the world through explanation.

The Greeks made several inventions, most notably in the subject of math, which are still studied today and taught in school. Mathematician Euclid is often credited as the “Father of Geometry” for all his work and studies in this subject, which are compiled in his books called The Elements. He organized known geometrical statements called theorems and logically proved all of them. He proved the theorem of Pythagoras (another Greek mathematician), which stated that the equation (c2 = a2 + b2) is true for every right triangle.

Pythagoras and even his students did not leave any writing and all its known about him is from a writing that has been written about two hindered years after his death. Therefore there were always

Geometry first originated as a way to solve problems in architecture and navigation. A famous figure in geometry is Euclid. Around 300 BC, he published a book, The Elements, which contained definitions, axioms, and postulates that would be regarded as a standard of mathematical reasoning for the next two thousand years (Mueller, 1969). Euclid basically gave the foundation of what is now called Euclidean geometry. However,

The Pythagoreans were a group of people who followed Pythagoras in 530 B.C. They are well known for their work in mathematics and for numerology, they tried to prove that everything is made up of numbers. The Pythagoreans tried to solve the problem of Anaximander by the theory of the Limit which was the flaw in Anaximander’s theory.

There are many great philosophers in this world. Some of which are extremely well known and almost everyone knows their names like Socrates, Plato Aristotle Locke and so very many more. Pythagoras is a less known philosopher who had a lot of discoveries while leading a life in a secretive manner. He was an enigma and the leader of a religious sect cult who believed the universe to consist solely of whole numbers and their ratios. Pythagoras said "Do not talk a little on many subjects, but much on a few." Has one ever wondered where did he learn his vast knowledge of mathematics and religious aspects leading to the Pythagorean cult, or what was all of his discoveries besides

     Euclid of Alexandria was born in about 325 BC. He is the most prominent mathematician of antiquity best known for his dissertation on mathematics. He was able to create “The Elements” which included the composition of many other famous mathematicians together. He began exploring math because he felt that he needed to compile certain things and fix certain postulates and theorems. His book included, many of Eudoxus’ theorems, he perfected many of Theaetetus's theorems also. Much of Euclid’s background is very vague and unknown. It is unreliable to say whether some things about him are true, there are two types of extra information stated that scientists do not know

Unlike geometry, algebra was not developed in Europe. Algebra was actually discovered (or developed) in the Arab countries along side geometry. Many mathematicians worked and developed the system of math to be known as the algebra of today. European countries did not obtain information on algebra until relatively later years of the 12th century. After algebra was discovered in Europe, mathematicians put the information to use in very remarkable ways. Also, algebraic and geometric ways of thinking were considered to be two separate parts of math and were not unified until the mid 17th century.

Euclid Of Alexandria may be the best-known mathematician of the world, he is best known for his work on mathematics The Elements. The fact that his work has survived so long, 2000 years in fact, is a tribute to his mathematical genius, however very little of him is known. Three theories abound as to the true nature of this historical figure. Not all historians agree that Euclid was in fact a historical figure, some argue that the school in Alexandria took up the name Euclid to publish their works. But the more accepted theories are that Euclid was in fact a real historical figure who may have been the leader of a team of mathematicians.