Mathematics project

Pythagoras theorem
y In mathematics, the Pythagorean theorem or Pythagoras' theorem is a relation i
n Euclidean geometry among the three sides of a right triangle (right-angled tri
angle). In terms of areas, it states: In any right triangle, the area of the squ
are whose side is the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to
the sum of the areas of the squares whose sides are the two legs (the two sides
that meet at a right angle). angle).
Equation of the theorem
y The theorem can be
written as an equation relating the lengths of the sides a, b and c, often calle
d the Pythagorean equation: where c represents the length of the hypotenuse, and
a and b represent the lengths of the other two sides.
The Pythagorean theorem: The sum of the areas of the two squares on the legs (a
and b) equals the area of the square on the hypotenuse (c).
These two formulations show two fundamental aspects of this theorem: it is both
a statement about areas and about lengths. Tobias Danzig refers to these as area
l and metric interpretations.[2][3] Some proofs of the theorem are based on one
interpretation, some upon the other. Thus, Pythagoras' theorem stands with one f
oot in geometry and the other in algebra, a connection made clear originally by
Descartes in his work La Geometries, and extending today into other branches of
mathematics The Pythagorean theorem has been modified to apply outside its origi
nal domain. A number of these generalizations are described below, including ext
ension to many-dimensional Euclidean spaces, to spaces that are not Euclidean, t
o objects that are not right triangles, and indeed, to objects that are not tria
ngles at all, but n-dimensional solids.
The Pythagorean theorem is named after the Greek mathematician Pythagoras, who b
y tradition is credited with its discovery and proof,[5][6] although it is often
argued that knowledge of the theorem predates him. (There is much evidence that
Babylonian mathematicians understood the formula, although there is little surv
iving evidence that they fitted it into a mathematical framework.[7]) [To the Eg
yptians and Babylonians] mathematics provided practical tools in the form of "re
cipes" designed for specific calculations. Pythagoras, on the other hand, was on
e of the first to grasp numbers as abstract entities that exist in their own rig
ht. [8] In addition to a separate section devoted to the history of Pythagoras'
theorem, historical asides and sources are found in many of the other subsection
s. The Pythagorean theorem has attracted interest outside mathematics as a symbo
l of mathematical abstruseness, mystique, or intellectual power. The article end
s with a section on pop references to the theorem.
As pointed out in the introduction, if c denotes the length of the hypotenuse an
d a and b denote the lengths of the other two sides, Pythagoras' theorem can be
expressed as the Pythagorean equation:
or, solved for c:
If c is known, and the length of one of the legs must be found, the following eq
uations can be used:
or
y The Pythagorean equation provides a simple relation
among the three sides of a right triangle so that if the lengths of any two side
s are known, the length of the third side can be found. A generalization of this
theorem is the law of cosines, which allows the computation of the length of th
e third side of any triangle, given the lengths of two sides and the size of the
angle between them. If the angle between the sides is a right angle, the law of
cosines reduces to the Pythagorean equation.
y This theorem may have more known proofs than any
other (the law of quadratic reciprocity being another contender for that distinc
tion); the book The Pythagorean Proposition contains 370 proofs.
y In outline, here is how the proof in
Euclid's Elements proceeds. The large square is divided into a left and right re
ctangle. A triangle is constructed that has half the area of the left rectangle.
Then another triangle is constructed that has half the area of the square on th
e leftmost side. These two triangles are shown to be congruent, proving this squ
are has the same area as the left rectangle. This argument is followed by a simi
lar version for the right rectangle and the remaining square. Putting the two re
ctangles together to reform the square on the hypotenuse, its area is the same a
s the sum of the area of the other two squares. The details are next.
Showing the two congruent triangles of half the area of rectangle BDLK and squar
e BAGF
Proof by rearrangement
y In the animation at the right, the total area and the areas of the triangles a
re all constant. Therefore, the total black area is constant. But the original b
lack area of side c can be divided into two squares delineated by the triangle s
ides a, b, demonstrating that a2 + b2 = c2.
y The converse of the theorem is also true:[26] y For any three positive numbers
a, b, and c such that a2 + b2 = c2, y y y y y
there exists a triangle with sides a, b and c, and every such triangle has a rig
ht angle between the sides of lengths a and b. Such numbers are called a Pythago
rean triple. An alternative statement is: For any triangle with sides a, b, c, i
f a2 + b2 = c2, then the angle between a and b measures 90°. This converse also app
ears in Euclid's Elements (Book I, Proposition 48):[27] If in a triangle the squ
are on one of the sides equals the sum of the squares on the remaining two sides
of the triangle, then the angle contained by the remaining two sides of the tri
angle is right. It can be proven using the law of cosines (see below under Gener
alizations), or by the following proof:
y A corollary of the Pythagorean theorem's converse is a simple
y y y y y
means of determining whether a triangle is right, obtuse, or acute, as follows.
Where c is chosen to be the longest of the three sides and a + b > c (otherwise
there is no triangle according to the triangle inequality). The following statem
ents apply:[28] If a2 + b2 = c2, then the triangle is right. If a2 + b2 > c2, th
en the triangle is acute. If a2 + b2 < c2, then the triangle is obtuse. Edsger D
ijkstra has stated this proposition about acute, right, and obtuse triangles in
this language: sgn( + ) = sgn(a2 + b2 c2), where is the angle opposite to side a
, is the angle opposite to side b, is the angle opposite to side c, and sgn is t
he sign function.