


The Babylonians have always been renowned as brilliant mathematicians, and the clay tablets that have survived sometimes bear dazzling witness to their skill.




Articles recommended for you.

Calculating square roots "with a quill," as people said in the 18th century, is a challenging art with many facets. Let's explore some famous methods and see why they work.

The Pythagorean theorem began as a result about squares constructed on the sides of a right triangle. Those geometric squares later became arithmetic squares, before the theorem ventured into abstract spaces. Would Pythagoras recognize his theorem if he came back to life today?

Some profound results, such as Pythagoras' theorem, predate any awareness of mathematics as a science. Rather, once theorized and proved, these results gave rise to this science.

Pythagoras would never have accepted this result being named after him: he knew perfectly well that he had learned it on his journeys of study. As we shall see, it already existed in Babylon and India!
Discussion
Sign in to post a comment and talk with other readers.
No comments yet. Be the first to respond.