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Pythagoras Math Fun5
Pythagoras Math Fun5
Pythagoras
Over 2000 years ago there was an amazing discovery about triangles: When the triangle has a right angle (90) ... ... and squares are made on each of the three sides, then ...
... the biggest square has the exact same area as the other two squares put together
a2 + b2 = c2
Note:
c is the longest side of the triangle a and b are the other two sides
Definition
The longest side of the triangle is called the "hypotenuse", so the formal definition is: In a right angled triangle: the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides
!ure
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32 +
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$ + %& ! 2"
!t wor"s ... li"e #agic
a2 + b2 ! c2
Now you can use algebra to find any missing 2alue, as in the following e%amples:
a2 + b2 ! c2 $2 + b2 ! %"2 (% + b2 ! 22"
)ake (% from both sides:
b2 ! % b ! '% b = 12
! %00 + ",&
&%ample: Does an =, 6*, 67 triangle ha2e a 4ight 'ngle" Does 8; < 15; 9 16; "
Draw the same si:ed square on the other side of the hypotenuse
?ut out the shapes 'rrange them so that you can pro2e that the big square has the same area as the two squares on the other sides
+e also ha2e a proof by adding up the areas Historical Note: while we call it Pythagoras' Theorem, it was also known by Indian, Greek, Chinese and Babylonian mathematicians well before he li ed !