Pythagorean theorem

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See also: Pythagorean trigonometric identity

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).

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In mathematics, the Pythagorean theorem, also known as Pythagoras's theorem, is a relation

in Euclidean geometry among the three sides of a right triangle. It states that the square of
the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two
sides. The theorem can be written as an equation relating the lengths of the sides a, b and c, often
called the "Pythagorean equation":[1]

where c represents the length of the hypotenuse and a and b the lengths of the triangle's other
two sides.
Although it is often argued that knowledge of the theorem predates him, [2] the theorem is named
after the ancient Greekmathematician Pythagoras (c. 570 c. 495 BC) as it is he who, by
tradition, is credited with its first recorded proof.[3][4][5] There is some evidence that Babylonian
mathematicians understood the formula, although little of it indicates an application within a
mathematical framework.[6][7] Mesopotamian, Indian and Chinese mathematicians all discovered
the theorem independently and, in some cases, provided proofs for special cases.
The theorem has been given numerous proofs possibly the most for any mathematical
theorem. They are very diverse, including both geometric proofs and algebraic proofs, with some
dating back thousands of years. The theorem can be generalized in various ways, including
higher-dimensional spaces, to spaces that are not Euclidean, to objects that are not right
triangles, and indeed, to objects that are not triangles at all, but n-dimensional solids. The
Pythagorean theorem has attracted interest outside mathematics as a symbol of mathematical
abstruseness, mystique, or intellectual power; popular references in literature, plays, musicals,
songs, stamps and cartoons abound.
Contents

1Pythagorean proof

2Other forms of the theorem

3Other proofs of the theorem

3.1Proof using similar triangles

3.2Euclid's proof

3.3Proofs by dissection and rearrangement

3.4Einstein's proof by dissection without rearrangement

3.5Algebraic proofs

3.6Proof using differentials

4Converse

5Consequences and uses of the theorem

o

5.1Pythagorean triples

5.2Incommensurable lengths

5.3Complex numbers

5.4Euclidean distance in various coordinate systems

5.5Pythagorean trigonometric identity

5.6Relation to the cross product

6Generalizations
o

6.1Similar figures on the three sides

6.2Law of cosines

6.3Arbitrary triangle

6.4General triangles using parallelograms

6.5Solid geometry

6.6Inner product spaces

6.7Sets of m-dimensional objects in n-dimensional space

6.7.1Applied to sets containing a single object

6.7.2Applied to sets containing multiple objects

6.7.3Applied in any number of dimensions

6.8Non-Euclidean geometry

6.8.1Spherical geometry

6.8.2Hyperbolic geometry
6.9Differential geometry

7History

8In popular culture

9See also

10Notes

11References

12External links

Pythagorean proof

The Pythagorean proof (click to view animation)

The Pythagorean Theorem was known long before