-
2000 BCE
The belief that
the Pythagorean theorem was used 1000 years before Pythagoras was born. -
1800 BCE
Egyptian Middle Kingdom Berlin Papyrus 6619
includes a problem whose solution is the Pythagorean triple 6:8:10, but the problem does not mention a triangle. -
600 BCE
In India, the Baudhayana Shulba Sutra
contains a list of Pythagorean triples and a statement of the Pythagorean theorem. -
570 BCE
Pythagoras was Born
-
495 BCE
The rule attributed to Pythagoras
starts from an odd number and produces a triple with leg and hypotenuse differing by one unit. -
347 BCE
The rule attributed to Plato
starts from an even number and produces a triple with leg and hypotenuse differing by two units. -
300 BCE
Around 300 BC, in Euclid's Elements
the oldest extant axiomatic proof of the theorem is presented. -
300 BCE
The Gougu theorem
-
202 BCE
During the Han Dynasty
Pythagorean triples appear in The Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art -
245
Some believe the theorem arose first in China
where it is alternatively known as the "Shang Gao theorem" (商高定理) -
500
Euclid's Proof
demonstrates that the area of the square on the hypotenuse is the sum of the areas of the other two squares. -
The Pythagorean Theorem Today
The Pythagorean theorem describes a special relationship between the sides of a right triangle. Even the ancients knew of this relationship.