But who was Pythagoras, and what more did he contribute to the world?

Let's explore the life and legacy of this Ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician. Pythagoras was born around 570 BCE on the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea.

From a young age, he was fascinated by the mysteries of the world.

His early education was influenced by various teachers, including the philosopher Thales of Miletus, who sparked Pythagoras' interest in mathematics and astronomy. Seeking greater knowledge, Pythagoras traveled extensively in his youth.

He visited Egypt, where he studied geometry and the mysteries of the pyramids.

He also journeyed to Babylon, absorbing their mathematical knowledge, and possibly even traveled to India. Around 530 BCE, Pythagoras settled in Croton, a Greek colony in southern Italy.

Here, he founded a religious and philosophical school known as the Pythagorean Brotherhood.

This community was dedicated to the study of mathematics, philosophy, and music, and it followed strict rules regarding lifestyle and behavior. Pythagoras' teachings extended beyond mathematics.

He believed in the transmigration of souls, a method that influenced his views on vegetarianism and the treatment of animals. However, his mathematical contributions are what he is best known for today.

The most famous of these contributions is the Pythagorean Theorem.

This theorem states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse—the side opposite the right angle—is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

This principle has become a fundamental part of geometry, but Pythagoras' influence went beyond just geometry. He and his followers discovered the mathematical relationships in musical harmony, noting that the lengths of strings vibrating at harmonious intervals are proportional to whole numbers.

This discovery laid the groundwork for the mathematical study of music and acoustics. Despite his significant contributions, much of Pythagoras' life remains shrouded in mystery.

He left no writings of his own, and much of what we know about him comes from his disciples and later philosophers.

His school was eventually dissolved due to political conflicts, but his ideas endured. Pythagoras passed away around 495 BCE, but his legacy lived on through his students and the enduring impact of his teachings.

The Pythagorean Theorem remains a fundamental concept in mathematics, and his ideas on the harmony of numbers continue to inspire mathematicians, scientists, and philosophers. Pythagoras once said, "Number rules the universe." His life and work remind us of the profound connections between mathematics and the natural world, and his contributions continue to resonate through the centuries.