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Pythagorean Theorem Found On Clay Tablet 1,000 Years Older Than Pythagoras (www.iflscience.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/science@lemmy.ml
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[–] 30 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Cuneiform scripts were frequently coppied by scribes, so the theorem could be even older

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  • [–] 18 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    A handful of people can be credited with discovering the theorem prior to Pythagoras, this isn't the first time this has come up, and incidentally there is almost no evidence to suggest Pythagoras did.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Good to know! TBH, I'm specifically excited to see it was present in the fertile crescent. I really like clay tablets.

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  • [–] [S] 9 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I think that this theorem is at least as old as the pyramids.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (2 children)

    The recent "Fall of Civilizations" podcast talks a lot about the history of the pyramids. They may still have known a lot about geometery, but the slopes and angles involved in the pyramid building seem to have been trial and error as much as anything

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  • [–] [S] 0 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    The pyraamids are way more complex and accurate as been build only by trial and error. It's architects knew exactly what they were doing and also geometric theorema way more complex as the one of "Phytagoras", as shown also in other ancient buildings, which are still difficult to reproduce by modern architects.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    What makes you say that? I'm not an expert. Accurate geometry or not, the pyramids are pretty cool. What about them means it couldn't have been trial and error?

    https://www.si.edu/spotlight/ancient-egypt/pyramid

    About halfway up, however, the angle of incline decreases from over 51 degrees to about 43 degrees, and the sides rise less steeply, causing it to be known as the Bent Pyramid. The change in angle was probably made during construction to give the building more stability

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    Yes, the bent pyramid, but that say nothing, maybe simply a design of an bad architect. They always exist, even today.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago*

    There are records of why it was bent though. It was one of the first pyramids. The king wanted it very tall and steep. he ended up being burried in a pyramid with less slope. Do you have any archeological evidence of complex geometry being used?

    Again, the pyramids are an impressive feat of craftsmanship and the organization of labor, but does that mean they employed the pythagorean theorem?

    They may very well have known geometry, or at least developed during the course of their civilization but I don't think the pyramids represent sufficient evidence for them definitely knowing the pythagorean theorem

    edit: also if you haven't heard the podcast, i recommend it. It's pretty cool

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