By Daniel Westerfield 

"Pythagoras is a famous historical figure that is well known for his mathematical, scientific, and philosophical contributions. Some of his achievements separate him from the other minds of his era. Pythagoras is perhaps best known for his creation of the Pythagoreanism movement and for his Pythagorean theorem.

Early Life of Pythagoras

Pythagoras was born around 570 BC in Samos, Greece. His father, Mnesarchus, was a gem merchant, and his mother’s name was Pythais. Pythagoras also had at least two brothers. Pythagoras was very well educated, and he liked to use his knowledge and apply it to his favorite activities. His interests included astronomy, music, mathematics, and philosophy. He spent a great deal of time reciting Homer and poetry, as well as playing the lyre. Pythagoras drew his inspiration from other great thinkers of his time. Some of these people included Pherekydes, a philosopher, Thales, an astronomer and mathematician, and Anaximander, a philosopher (Douglass “Pythagoras” 2005). Pythagoras learned from these people and was inspired by their work. Those brilliant minds helped mold one of the most important figures in history.

At the age of eighteen, Pythagoras met Thales, a master of mathematics and astronomy. Thales was getting quite old at this time, and he was not able to fully mentor him. He did, however, spark interest in Pythagoras that led him to pursue studies of astronomy and mathematics.

Pythagoras continued to pursue education in his favorite fields. He sought mentorship from one of Thales’ students, Anaximander. He studied under Anaximander until he was about thirty-five, learning about different astronomical and geometrical theories. Much of his later work reflected upon the work of Anaximander, and he continued to build upon his teacher’s theories (“Who is Pythagoras…”).

Later Life

After he finished studying under Anaximander, Pythagoras left Samos and went to Egypt to study under temple priests. He lived in priesthood at the temple of Diospolis. His time spent there and the things he learned had a large impact on him, and when Pythagoras created his own society later in life, he used the principles he learned at Diospolis to govern his followers.

Around 525 BC, Pythagoras had his trip to Egypt cut short when the king of Persia sent his armies to invade the country. Pythagoras was taken captive during the invasion, and he was taken to Babylon. While there, he studied and furthered his education by joining the Persian priests. He learned even more about mathematical sciences and music from them.

About five years later, Pythagoras regained his freedom and returned to his home city of Samos. A few years later he left his home and went to Croton, where he opened a religious and philosophical school. He quickly gained many followers, which were broken up into two groups, the inner circle and the outer circle. The people of the inner circle lived in a private Pythagorean society with no personal possessions. They were vegetarians, and they were not allowed to wear clothing made out of animal skin. The people of the outer circle lived in their own homes, and they did not have to abide by the strict rules of the inner circle.

Some of the teachings of Pythagoras caused quite a bit of controversy at the time, and they still do to this day. One of the things he taught his students was that everything can be broken down into numbers. He also told his pupils that each number is a unique and special idea. The students were taught that numbers should be worshipped, and that different numbers represented different things and ideas.

In 513 BC, Pythagoras went to Delos to stay with an old friend, Pherekydes, who was gravely ill. After his friend died, Pythagoras returned to his society in Croton. About five years later, the Pythagorean society was attacked by Cylon, a noble of Croton that was rejected by Pythagoras. Pythagoras fled to Metapontium, and it is at this point that historians lose track of him. Some say he died there and others say he returned to his society where he spent the rest of his remaining years. Regardless of what happened to Pythagoras during that time, his beliefs spread, and his followers and his society thrived for many years.

Contributions to Mathematics

The first thing people think of when discussing Pythagoras is his famous formula for right triangles. Known as the Pythagorean theorem, this formula can be very helpful in certain circumstances when trying to find the lengths of the sides of a triangle. The formula is simply a2+b2=c2. When given the length of two sides, one must simply plug the values in for the appropriate variables of the formula to find the length of the third side. It seems simple, yet this discovery has forever revolutionized mathematics.

People do not typically associate music with math, but in reality, music has everything to do with math! Pythagoras is well known for his application of math to everyday life, but what many people do not know is that Pythagoras found a great method for tuning instruments and creating them. All he did was figure out that harmonious musical notes always have whole number ratios (Mastin "The Story of Mathematics" 2010). When he made this discovery, he was convinced that everything in the universe is comprised of numbers.

Pythagoras believed and taught some controversial ideas during his lifetime. He was a man that spent his entire life trying to acquire knowledge, and he wanted to understand everything that went on around him. He made many philosophical, scientific, musical, and astronomical discoveries. He is, however, most well known for his contributions in the world of mathematics. Without Pythagoras, math simply would not be what it is today."

Work Cited

Biography of Pythagoras - math word definition - Math Open Reference. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.     (Douglass "Pythagoras" 2005)

"Who is Pythagoras? Everything You Need to Know." Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.     ("Who is Pythagoras? Everything You Need to Know")

Mastin, Luke. "The Story of Mathematics." Pythagoras - Greek Mathematics - The Story of Mathematics. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.     (Mastin "The Story of Mathematics" 2010)