Pythagoras

A detailed Summary of Pythagoras


Pythagoras was born sometime between 495 and 575 B.C. on the island of Samos. There are few documents recording his life therefore little is known about what he did in his life but there are records of things he discovered and studied. All the descriptions that have been recorded about Pythagoras' appearance are most probably made up or embellished, although it is believe that he did have a striking birthmark on his thigh. It is believed that he had two brothers, but some sources say he had three. For many years he lived in Kronton, which is located in Southern Italy. He established a school of philosophy and science there and gained followers and together they came to political power. Both men and women were permitted to join, but were all sworn to secrecy. This secrecy caused the group to be surrounded by suspicion. A group of Pythagorean rivals fought back against them and practically shattered the organization. There are also rumors that Pythagoras traveled to Egypt and Babylon at one time but there is no proof of this. He is said to have adopted customs from Egyptian priests such as abstaining from eating beans, not wearing animal skin clothing, and trying to remain very pure. He died in the early part of the 5th


Pythagoras is known as the first pure mathematician. Mathematically he believed that all things in the universe are numbers. Along with this he believed that numbers gave shape and form to all matter. Pythagoras never intend to solve problems and equations or discover things; he was only interested in the concept of numbers and triangles and abstract proofs. He is probably most famous for the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the hypotenuse of a right triangle equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides. The theorem was actually first discovered by the Egyptians but Pythagoras was the first to actually prove why it was true mathematically. There are several other proofs that are credited to Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans. They discovered that a polygon with n sides has a sum of interior angles which equals 2n-4 and that the sum of the exterior angles equals three hundred and sixty degrees. Pythagoras is also attributed to discovering irrational numbers although many people feel this is not true because it goes against his belief that everything in the universe is made up of numbers. He felt that ten was the greatest number because it is the sum of the first four integers. Pythagoras was very interested in odd and even n

Some common words found in the essay are:
Pythagoras Pythagoreans, , Olympic Games, Pythagoreans Pythagoras, Philosophy Pythagoras, Southern Italy, Egypt Babylon, Egyptians Pythagoras, Andrews Scotland, Encyclopedia Philosophy, pythagoras actually, angles equals,

Approximate Word count = 843
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • Pythagoras Pythagoras The Greek philosopher Pythagoras of Samos is responsible of great advances in the study of astronomy, mathematics and the theory of music. ... 534 words
  • Pythagoras In 580 BC there lived a man who is know for creating one the best known theorems ever. His name was Pythagoras and the theorem, the Pythagorean Theorem. ... 280 words
  • Pythagoras My name is Pythagoras of Samos. I believe I should win the fabulous twoweek cruise on the incomparable Argo because I dedicated ... 686 words
  • Pythagoras of Samos Pythagorean Theorem The Greek philosopher Pythagoras of Samos is responsible of great advances in the study of astronomy, mathematics and the theory of music. ... 547 words
  • Incomplete Pythagoras Essay Pythagoras: A Great Man or A Great Myth Pythagoras, my adopted philosopher, was a man of great stature, a man who had a cult of followers, a man who is ... 422 words

Professional Essays

  • Thales, Pythagoras, and Heraclitus Thales, Pythagoras, and Heraclitus formed part of one of the earliest group of ancient Greek Philosophers. They were revolutionaries ... 473 words
  • The music of the spheres in Pythagorean philosophy Pythagoras believed that the movements of the stars were governed by fixed laws which could be expressed in numbers according to the numbers which give the ... 1330 words
  • Pythagorean philosophy Pythagoras believed that the movements of the stars were governed by fixed laws which could be expressed in numbers according to the numbers which give the ... 1330 words
  • Mathematics and the Construction of Pyramids in Egypt ... Pythagoras, philosopher and mathematician circa 550 BC, who is famous for articulating the classic right triangle relationship:a2 b2 c2, where a and b ... 1225 words
  • Problem Solving in Mathematics ... Although problem solving originated with ancient thinkers and mathematicians such as Aristotle, Archimedes, and Pythagoras, mathematics education trends in ... 1965 words
  • Greek Science ... Despite the crudity of some of their efforts, he champions them as scientists against the later Greeks, beginning with Pythagoras and continuing with Plato ... 3142 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.