HOLIDAY

ASSIGNMENT
and

FA -3
MATHS
PROJECT



INTRODUCTION
Famous as: Philosopher and
Mathematician
Nationality: Greek
Born on: 570 BC
Born in: Samos
Died on: 495 BC
place of death: Metapontum
father: Mnesarchus
mother: Pythais

education:
Pythagoreanism
Pythagoras of Samos was a well-known mathematician,
scientist and a religious teacher. He was born in Samos and
is often hailed as the first great mathematician. Pythagoras
is remembered today for his famous theorem in geometry,
the 'Pythagoras Theorem'. His mentors were Thales,
Pherekydes and Anaximander, who inspired him to pursue
mathematics and astronomy. Pythagoras also made
important discoveries in music, astronomy and medicine.
He accepted priesthood and performed the rites that were
required in order to enter one of the temples in Egypt,
known as Diospolis. He set up a brotherhood with some of his
followers, who practiced his way of life and pursued his
religious ideologies. He became one of the most
distinguished teachers of religion in ancient Greece
Childhood and early life

Pythagoras was born in the island of Samos
in around 569 BC. His father, Mnesarchus,
was a merchant and his mother Pythais, was a
native of Samos. Young Pythagoras spent
most of his early years in Samos but travelled
to many places with his father. He was
intelligent, well-educated. Pythagoras was
also fond of poetry and recited the poems of
Homer.

CARRER
It is believed that philosophers like Thales,
Pherekydes and Anaximander influenced
Pythagoras to a great extent when he was young.
Thales created a strong impression on him. He
contributed to Pythagorass interest in astronomy
and mathematics. On Thaless advice, Pythagoras
travelled to Egypt and learned a great deal about
astronomy and mathematics there. He attended
many lectures given by Anaximander, who was
Thaless pupil. Anaximanders interest in
cosmology and geometry influenced Pythagoras
to a large extent.
In 535 BC, Pythagoras left Samos and went to Egypt when Polycrates, the tyrant
of Samos, took control. Pythagoras and Polycrates were believed to be friends at one
point of time. There are evidences which suggest that Pythagoras was refrained from
entering all temples in Egypt except the temple of Diospolis. He accepted priesthood
and was allowed to enter the temple of Diospolis after performing the necessary
rituals. He took part in several discussions with the Egyptian priests and embraced
the various customs of Egyptian priests such as secrecy, not eating beans and
wearing clothes that are not made from animal skins. During his time in Egypt, he
pursued his education and specialized in Geometry and Mathematics. When
Cambyses II, the king of Persia, invaded Egypt in 525 BC, Pythagoras was made
prisoner and was taken to Babylon. On attaining freedom, he left Babylon in 520
BC and returned back to Samos. He then travelled to Crete to study the system of
laws. He returned to Samos shortly after that and established a school named the
Semicircle. In 518 BC, Pythagoras left Samos again for Southern Italy. It was in
Croton, where he founded a religious school and had several followers who adopted his
philosophical principles.
Pythagoras was famous for his religious teachings
and made several contributions to science and
religion. Pythagorass teachings were centered on the
doctrine of metempsychosis. He believed that a
persons soul does not die and is destined to a cycle
of rebirths. The soul is freed from the cycle of births
only through the purity of its life. His doctrine later
came to be known as Pythagoreanism, which
emphasized on esoteric and metaphysical
ideologies. Pythagoras and his followers also
believed that a soul or spirit lies in all animals and
vegetable life.


Pythagoras studied properties of numbers and
classified them as even numbers, odd numbers,
triangular numbers and perfect numbers etc. The
Pythagoras theorem is one of the earliest theorems
in geometry, which states that in right-angle
triangles, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to
the sum of square the other two. This theorem was
already proposed during the reign of the
Babylonian King Hammurabi, but Pythagoras
applied it to mathematics and science and refined
the concept. Pythagoras also asserted that
dynamics of the structure of the universe lies on
the interaction of the contraries or the opposites,
such as, light and darkness, limited and
unlimited, square and oblong, straight and
crooked, right and left, singularity and plurality,
male and female, motionless and movement
and good and bad.




Most of his works were lost throughout the history and very few
survived. Pythagorean brotherhood couldnt survive for long as they
were suppressed. According to certain historical accounts
Pythagoras died along with his disciples in the temple, while some
other evidences suggest that he fled to Tarentum and then to
Metapontum, where he starved himself to death