The Inventor

pythagoras

At the time of school, while studying mathematics, we have heard the name of the Phytagoras Theorem, which is one of the contributions of the Pythagoras. He is one of the figures with a considerable contribution in the world of mathematics.

In the biography of Phytagoras, it is known that he was born on the Aegean island of the Eastern region of the Samos archipelago, Greece in 570 BC. His mother Pythias was a native of the island while his father Mnesarchus was a jewel merchant from Tyre (Lebanon). Pythagoras also had two or three siblings.

CHILDHOOD

Pythagoras spent most of his childhood on the Samos Islands. When he grew up, he began to accompany his father in trading.

His father Mnesarchus once brought Pythagoras to Tyre. There he studied under scholars from Syria. There is also the possibility that he visited Italy with his father when trading.

Pythagoras then studied extensively under different teachers. He studied poetry, read Homer's poets and played lute music. In addition to studying from scholars in Syria, he also studied under scholars in Chaldea. Pherecydes of Syros was also one of the early teachers of Pythagoras where he studied philosophy.

STUDYING FOR THALES

The biography of Pythagoras shows that at the age of eighteen, Pythagoras went to the city of Miletus to meet Thales, a mathematician and astronomer.

Although by that time Thales was too old to teach, the meeting was quite fruitful. From the meeting Pythagoras' interest in science, mathematics and astronomy.

Pythagoras also studied with one of Thales' disciples named Anaximander. Subsequent works of Pythagoras show a striking resemblance to the works of Anaximander.

GO TO EGYPT

In 535 BC, Pythagoras went to Egypt to study on the advice of Thales. However, in another opinion, Pythagoras went to Egypt to escape the tyranny of Polycrates, the ruler of Samos at that time.

Pythagoras lived in Egypt for almost ten years. After completing the rites or religious customs required there, Pythagoras then entered the temple of Diospolis and was accepted as a priest there.

There is also an opinion that for several years Pythagoras studied under the guidance of an Egyptian priest named Oenuphis of Heliopolis. In 525 BC, Emperor Cambyses II of Persia conquered Egypt. Pythagoras was captured and taken as a prisoner to either Babylon or Babylon.

In Babylon, Pythagoras quickly adapted or came into contact with Persian priests known as the magi. Pythagoras also began to study mathematics and music under their tutelage.

BACK TO SAMOS

In 522 BC, Cambyses II of Persia died under mysterious circumstances and Polycrates, the tyrannical ruler of Samos was also killed. This event made an opportunity for Pythagoras to return to Samos and then he did in 520 BC.

THE SEMICIRCLE SCHOOL

In the biography of Pythagoras it is known that upon his return to Samos, Pythagoras opened a school called The Semicircle. However, the teaching method is different and it is of interest to some people.

At the same time, the Samos leaders wanted Pythagoras to be involved with the city government but not Pythagoras.

MOVING TO ITALY

In 518 BC, Pythagoras moved his school to Croton in southern Italy. Some say that he went there to study law and lived there. It was at Croton that he began to teach and quickly gathered a group of his followers.

Later, he established a society that was open to both men and women. It developed into a religious school of philosophy and had great political influence.

PYTHAGOREAN FOLLOWERS

Pythagoras was a teacher or master of either sect or section. Students or mathematicians must live their lives according to the rules, such as what they eat, wear or even say.

They have no personal belongings and follow a strict vegetarian lifestyle. In contrast, the akousmatics were allowed to own private property and eat non-vegetarian food.

The Pythagorean school practiced strict secrecy not only about their rituals, but also about what was taught.

Therefore, although it made an outstanding contribution to mathematics it is difficult to distinguish between the works of Pythagoras and his followers.

However, Pythagoras' contribution to mathematics is best remembered for his concept of numbers. Pythagoras believed that everything could be reduced to numbers and these numbers had their own characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses.

For Pythagoras the number 10 is the most complete number because it consists of the first four digits (1 + 2 + 3 + 4) and when written in point notation, they form a triangle.

He also believed that geometry was the highest form of mathematical study by which one could explain the physical world. Pythagoras's beliefs stem from his observations of mathematics, music, and astronomy.

For example, he noticed that vibrating strings produce harmonious tones only when the ratio between the lengths of the strings is an integer. He then realized that this ratio could be extended to other instruments.

He also proposes that the soul is immortal. At the time of death a person will take a new form and thus he moves from person to person and even to a lower animal through a series of reincarnations until it becomes pure and such purification can be carried out through music and mathematics.

Pythagoras himself was a good musician and could play lyre instruments like harps well. A believer in mysticism, he also argued that certain symbols had mystical significance and that interaction between opposites was an important feature of the world.

In Astronomy, Pythagoras also taught that the Earth is a sphere at the center of the cosmos. He argued that all other planets and stars are spheres because spheres are the most perfect solid figures.

PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM

Pythagoras is the most famous mathematician in his geometric concept. He first proved the Pythagorean Theorem that the sum of the squares at the feet of a right triangle is equal to the square at the hypotenuse.

A right triangle is a triangle that has a right angle, its legs are the two sides that form the right angle, and the hypotenuse is the third side facing the right angle. In the figure below, a and b are the legs of the right triangle and c is the hypotenuse

Although the so-called theorem was invented by the Babylonians, Pythagoras was the first to prove it.

MARRIED TO THEANO

Pythagoras was married to Theano, his first student at Croton. He wrote a treatise called ‘On Virtue’. However, some say that he was not his wife, but only a disciple.

Pythagoras and Theano had a son named Telauges, and three daughters named Damo, Arignote, and Myia. Their second daughter Arignote was a famous scholar. Their third daughter, Myia, is said to have married the famous wrestler, Milo of Croton.

It is further stated that Milo was a colleague of Pythagoras and saved Pythagoras' life when he was hit by the roof ruins.

Pythagoras also had many enemies. One of his enemies incited the mob to fight the followers of Pythagoras and set fire to the place where they lived.

PYTHAGORAS'S DEATH

However, Pythagoras managed to escape. He then went to Metapontum and according to some people there Pythagoras starved to death. Some have suggested that Pythagoras was caught up in a conflict between Agrigentum and the Syracusans and later killed by the Syracusans.

Whatever the cause of his death, according to most accounts he died in 495 BC. ‘Theorema Pythagoras’ or ‘Theorema Pythagoras’ remains the most important legacy of Pythagoras to date.