Read Euclid backwards: history and purpose of Pythagorean Theorem

The Pythagorean Theorem might have been used in antiquity to build the pyramids, dig tunnels through mountains, and predict eclipse durations, it has been said. But maybe the main interest in the theorem was always more theoretical. Euclid’s proof of the Pythagorean Theorem is perhaps best thought of not as establishing the truth of the … Continue reading Read Euclid backwards: history and purpose of Pythagorean Theorem