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Pythagorean for Dummies

pronunciation: paɪ,θæɡə'riən

What does Pythagorean really mean?

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Pythagorean is a fancy word, but don't let that intimidate you! Let's take a journey together to uncover its meaning in the simplest way possible. Have you ever wondered about the relationship between the sides of a right triangle? Well, here's where Pythagorean comes into play. It's like having a secret code that helps us understand how long those sides are!

Okay, picture this: imagine you have a right triangle, which is basically a triangle with one angle that measures exactly 90 degrees (a perfect right angle!). Now, this special guy named Pythagoras figured out a pretty cool trick to find out how long that missing side of the triangle is. He discovered that if you square (which means multiplying a number by itself) the lengths of the two shorter sides and then add those two squares together, you'll get the square of the hypotenuse!

The hypotenuse is just a fancy word for the longest side in a right triangle, the one opposite to the right angle. Pythagoras realized that the relationship between the lengths of the sides in a right triangle is super important! So, he came up with this formula that we now call the Pythagorean theorem. It's like a magical key that helps us unlock the mystery of right triangles!

So, to sum it up, Pythagorean means using the Pythagorean theorem to find the length of a missing side in a right triangle.

But wait, there's more! Pythagorean can also refer to something else. You know how numbers can be really interesting? Well, in a broader sense, Pythagorean can also mean anything related to the ideas and teachings of Pythagoras himself. He was a Greek mathematician who came up with all sorts of cool stuff, like his theorem, and had a bunch of other mathematical and philosophical ideas. So, if someone tells you that something is Pythagorean, they might be talking about things that relate to Pythagoras or his teachings as well.

So, to recap, Pythagorean can mean using the Pythagorean theorem to find the length of a missing side in a right triangle, or it can also refer to things related to Pythagoras and his mathematical and philosophical ideas.

See how simple that was? You don't need to be an expert mathematician to understand Pythagorean! It's just a word that's making math a little bit easier to navigate. It's like having a secret codebook in your hands to decode the mysteries of triangles.

Revised and Fact checked by Isabella Thomas on 2023-10-28 17:25:30

Pythagorean In a sentece

Learn how to use Pythagorean inside a sentece

  • A Pythagorean relationship can be seen when we have a right triangle, like when finding the length of the diagonal of a TV screen.
  • When we know the lengths of two sides of a right triangle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem to find the length of the third side.
  • If a ladder is leaning against a wall at a right angle, we can use the Pythagorean theorem to calculate how far up the wall the ladder reaches.
  • When building a ramp, we can use the Pythagorean theorem to ensure that the ramp is the correct length and will be safe to use.
  • In a garden, if we want to find the distance between two plants, we can use the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the straight-line distance between them.

Pythagorean Pertains To

Words to which the original word is relevant