The Pythagorean Theorem
M. Gallant 1/99
The Pythagorean Theorem is probably the best known
theorem of basic geometry:
The square of the hypotenuse of a right-angle triangle is
equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides
Euclid in his Elements provided a somewhat complicated proof.
Many simpler proofs have been given since Euclid.
The Pythagorean Proposition, E.S. Loomis 1940 provides 370
proofs of this theorem!
The following two Java applets demonstrate two of the better known
geometrical proofs from antiquity of the Pythagorean Theorem:
References:
- Mathematical Recreations and Essays,
W. W. Rouse Ball and H. S. M Coxeter, 13th Edn. Dover 1987, p. 88.
- A Bibliography of Recreational Mathematics, W. L. Schaaf, V 4,
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, p. 75.
- Dissections: Plane and Fancy, G. Frederickson, Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Go Home ET