If you remember little else from high school geometry, you probably remember the Pythagorean Theorem: The square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. Or, to put it in a formula:
(Credit: pedica018/Shutterstock)
pedica018/Shutterstock
The formula comes in handy in construction, land surveying and navigation, among other down-to-earth pursuits such as deciding what size monitor or television to purchase. The theorem also led to mathematical breakthroughs, such as calculus.
But who was Pythagoras, the person behind the famous and useful theorem?
Beyond the fact that he was born on the Greek isle of Samos around 569 B.C. and died around 475 B.C., not much is known about him. Pythagoras left no writings, but he did found a sect (or, what some would deem a cult): the Divine Brotherhood of Pythagoras. Its followers are often referred to as ...
