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1007936
This web page offers basic illustrated information about Pythagoras and the famous equation he and his followers are credited with developing. The page contains a link to an applet that demonstrates the meaning of the equation. From the applet, links to three problems show the equation's application in baseball, scaling a wall, and in construction. This web page requires the student know what a right triangle is and how area is measured. Copyright 2005 Eisenhower National Clearinghouse

Summary

Subject keyword(s)Geometry, Mathematics, Plane geometry, Pythagorean theorem, Triangles
Grade levelMiddle School, High School, Informal Education
Intended audienceLearner
Resource typeAudio/Visual, Instructional Material
Resource formatimage, image/gif, text, text/html
RightsCopyright 1997 WGBH.

Found in collection(s)

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MSP2: Math and Science Pathways

Content contained within the resource

Pythagorean Puzzle Here's the deal; there was this Greek guy named Pythagoras, who lived over2,000 years ago during the sixth century B.C.E. Pythagoras spent a lot of timethinking about math, astronomy, and music. One idea he came up with was a mathematical equation that'sused all the time, for example in architecture, construction, andmeasurement. His equation is simple: a2 + b2 = c2. What it means is that in a right triangle (where one angle equals 90°),the sum of the squares of two sides equals the square of the hypotenuse (thelongest side). Or, to put it another way: Check it out—you can show that the Pythagorean theorem works. Shockwave version (Get Shockwave here) non-Shockwave version Andrew Wiles | Math's Hidden Woman | Pythagorean Puzzle Resources | Guide | Transcript | Proof Home Editor's Picks | Previous Sites | Join Us/E-mail | TV/Web Schedule About NOVA | Teachers | Site Map | Shop | Jobs | Search | To print PBS Online | NOVA Online | WGBH © | Updated November 2000 Support provided by For new content visit the redesigned NOVA site