/sci/ - Science & Math

If you studied math in high school, you probably came across Pythagoras at some point.

Whilst his formula is really useful for triangles, the ancient mathematician has become the bane of my students' lives.

Even more annoyingly, it turns out the Greek perhaps wasn't the one to first come up with the equation – which has been found on an ancient tablet that predates him by 1000 years!
The equation even predates the ancient philosopher.

For those who didn’t pass history class, Pythagoras is thought to have lived from 570 – 490 BCE and was renowned for being an expert in mathematics, astronomy, and music.

Whilst he was clearly a genius, it turns out he wasn’t the first to discover the theorem that still carries his name.

Instead, archaeologists have found the equation - a2 + b2 = c2 in case you forgot - on a Babylonian tablet, which was made nearly 1000 years before the philosopher was born.

Named IM 67118, the ancient text is thought to date back to 1770 BCE and could have even been used for teaching as it solves the length of a diagonal inside a rectangle.

Another earlier tablet, from 1800–1600 BCE, even shows a square with labelled triangles.

Having translated the ancient texts, experts have been able to prove that the civilisation was aware of advanced maths long before the fabled philosopher.

https://www.unilad.com/news/world-news/wooden-structure-oldest-kalambo-river-859740-20230921