Pythagoras of Samos is a man who was more than just a mathematician. A Greek philosopher, founder of the Pythagorean brotherhood, he was an extremely important political figure for his time. He invented vegetarianism and created one of the first secret organizations. Not much is known about his mathematical achievements because he never wrote anything down. It is unsure where his views end and his disciple’s views began. He influenced Plato and Aristotle and made contributions to the development of mathematics and western philosophy.
Details of Pythagoras's life stem from early biographies and there are conflicting reports of his birth date and death. It is clear that his father’s name was Mnesarchus and his mother’s name was Pythais. Mnesarchus was a merchant who originated from Tyre and who is thought that his father was seen as a hero to the village for bringing food to the people during a famine. It is said that he was granted citizenship to Samos instantly for his great effort. Pythagoras traveled to many places with his father and was taught by a group called the Chaldaeans and intelligent men of Syria.
Pythagoras’s childhood was most likely spent learning to play the lyre, learning poetry and reciting Homer. His physical appearance is unknown except for a scar he might have had on his thigh. Among his teachers there were three men that influenced him the most Pherekydes, Thales, and Anaximander. Thales might have been the most influential to Pythagoras’ formulation of a mathematical following. He did not teach him very much on other subjects but peaked his interest in math and astronomy. Anaximander was Thales’ pupil. He gave lectures on geometry and cosmology and these ideas influenced Pythagoras as well.
During his time in Egypt, Pythagoras spent time with priests and visiting temples. He also became a priest at the temple Diopolis. He was so intrigued by the traditions of the Egyptians that he incorporated the secrecy of the priesthood, the refusal to eat beans, and the refusal to wear clothes made from animal skins into his methods of teaching. While in Egypt, Pythagoras was captured and taken to Babylon. In prison, Pythagoras learned about sacred rites and mystical worships of the gods from the Magoi. He also reached the pinnacle of perfection in arithmetic and music and the other mathematical sciences taught by th...
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...s to aide his ailing teacher Pherekydes. There was a war between Croton and its neighbor Sybaris and it is said that Pythagoras had been involved in some way. Unexpectedly, his own Society was attacked by a noble from Croton. Pythagoras managed to escape but there are conflicting reports to when he actually perished. It is clear that the Society was thriving at the same time under attack for its ideals. At the time of Pythagoras’s reported death the Society continued for many years and spread to other Italian countries. The Society also became politically involved and split into a number of sections.
Pythagoras is a world-renowned contributor to mathematics and a mystifying person. We can never know how much he truly gave or could have given to the math world, but his legacy lives on through his unbeatable achievements.
Bibliography
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2. http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/Mathematicians/Pythagoras.html
3. The Mathematical Traveler: Exploring the Grand History of Numbers by Calvin C. Clawson, Perseus Books Group, April 1994
4. “Pythagoras”. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com
Through history, as said before, many philosophers have supported and developed what Pythagoras first exposed to the world. One of the most important philosophers to support Pythagoras’s ideas was Plato. In some of his writings he discusses the creation of the universe based on the musical proportions discovered by Pythagoras (Timaeus), and the explanation of the sound emitted by the planets, which is exposed in the “Myth of Er” in The Republic. It talks about a man who died and came back to life who narrates how he saw the space and how, in every “sphere,” there was a being singing constantly, each one in a different tone, so a perfect harmony was built. Nevertheless, not everyone agreed with this theory, being one of its most important critics Aristotle, who claimed that Plato’s arguments where false in his text On the Heavens. He acknowledges that it is a creative and innovative theory, but it is absurd to think that such music, which is imperceptible to us, exists in a harmonic way up in the heavens. I am not going to go deeper into that for it is not relevant for the text. As the years went on, many people continued developing this theory. Nevertheless, this philosophical theory, not truly explained until later on, was an inspiration for many artists and that is why not only philosophers but many other artists mention and base their works upon this theory.
...rituals and traditions, they also developed their own in conjunction with the studies of mathematics, astronomy, music and metaphysics. The Pythagoreans also adopted and expanded upon the traditional secrecy policies of the mysteries. The central beliefs of the mystery cults were at the central beliefs of the Pythagoreans, but the Pythagoraeans developed and expanded (making minor changes to) the mystery cults using studies in education and philosophy.
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A little info: Archimedes was a Greek Mathematician who was born in 287 BC and died in 212 BC. He was born in Syracuse, Sicily; during this time, the city was an independent Greek city-state which held a 500-year history. At the Siege of Syracuse Romans at the siege were specifically ordered not to harm Archimedes but he later was pronounced dead by being stabbed by a Roman soldier. His father (Phidias) was an astronomer and is believed to be related to the King of Syracuse. This information was found in his work “The Sand Reckoner.” Archimedes was labeled as one of the top scientists in classical antiquity. In those times, when blackboards and paper were not yet around, Archimedes constructed ashes, dust or all any available surface to help sketch his geometric figures. It’s been told that he used to get so intrigued with all of the work he did that sometimes he forgot to eat, skipped a meal or two just to finish on the project. He was considered the greatest mathematician in antiquity and possibly the greatest of all time.
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Euclid, who lived from about 330 B.C.E. to 260 B.C.E., is often referred to as the Father of Geometry. Very little is known about his life or exact place of birth, other than the fact that he taught mathematics at the Alexandria library in Alexandria, Egypt during the reign of Ptolemy I. He also wrote many books based on mathematical knowledge, such as Elements, which is regarded as one of the greatest mathematical/geometrical encyclopedias of all time, only being outsold by the Bible.
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Physics began when man first started to study his surroundings. Early applications of physics include the invention of the wheel and of primitive weapons. The people who built Stone Henge had knowledge of physical mechanics in order to move the rocks and place them on top of each other. It was not until during the period of Greek culture that the first systematic treatment of physics started with the use of mechanics. Thales is often said to have been the first scientist, and the first Greek philosopher. He was an astronomer, merchant and mathematician, and after visiting Egypt he is said to have originated the science of deductive geometry. He also discovered theorems of elementary geometry and is said to have correctly predicted an eclipse of the sun. Many of his studies were in astronomy but he also observed static electricity. Phythogoras was a Greek philosopher. He discovered simple numerical ratios relating the musical tones of major consonances, to the length of the strings used in sounding them. The Pythagorean theorem was named after him, although this fundamental statements of deductive geometry was most likely first an idea from Egyptian methods of measurements. With the help of his followers he discovered that the earth was a sphere, but he did not believe it revolved around the sun.
Zeno of Elea was the next person who attempted to prove irrational numbers by challenging the Pythagorean mathematics as well. He lived from 490BC to 430BC. Zeno had influence from Socrate...
Anaxagoras was an ancient Greek Philosopher, in His early stages of life he settled in Clazomenae , Ionia. He was blessed with the infatuated of knowledge and the support of a wealthy family nothing was known much of His early life , however he did realize the love of science. He was the concept of philosophy to the Athenians. As well as , he was also involved of the predictions of how the moon phases worked Anaxagoras was a very perspicacious man and did incredible things. Anaxagoras played a huge role in scientific and cultural developments. He was so dedicated to the work of his science and his cosmology. He was also the first philosopher to prove the creation and theories of rainbows , meteors , and his calculations were pretty