Pythagorean Theorem Found On Ancient Tablet 1,000 Years Older Than Pythagoras Himself

If you've taken high school math, you've likely encountered Pythagoras at some stage. His formula is quite handy for dealing with triangles, but he has also been a source of frustration for many students.

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What's even more frustrating is that it turns out the Greek mathematician may not have been the original thinker behind this equation. It has been discovered on an ancient tablet that predates him by 1000 years!

For those who may not have excelled in their history class, Pythagoras is believed to have lived between 570 and 490 BCE, and he gained fame for his expertise in mathematics, astronomy, and music.

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Although he was undoubtedly a brilliant individual, it appears that he was not the original discoverer of the theorem that continues to bear his name.

Instead, on a Babylonian tablet, archaeologists have discovered the equation - a^2 + b^2 = c^2, just in case it slipped your memory. This tablet predated the philosopher's birth by nearly a thousand years.

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The ancient text, known as IM 67118, is estimated to have originated around 1770 BCE. It's possible that this tablet was employed for educational purposes, particularly in calculating the length of a diagonal within a rectangle.

There's another earlier tablet, dating from 1800 to 1600 BCE, which depicts a square with triangles that have been labeled. After translating these ancient texts, experts have been able to demonstrate that this civilization possessed a grasp of advanced mathematics long before the famous philosopher came into the picture.

"The conclusion is inescapable. The Babylonians knew the relation between the length of the diagonal of a square and its side…”, explained mathematician Bruce Ratner in his paper.

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In light of this evidence, one might wonder how the clever calculation became so closely associated with Pythagoras.

However, unlike his mathematical achievements, there's a rather straightforward explanation for how Pythagoras became synonymous with this equation.

In his lifetime, Pythagoras established a school where he taught various subjects, including mathematics. 

This educational group, known as the Semicircle of Pythagoras, primarily relied on oral instruction, and over time, the knowledge became incorrectly attributed to this ancient scholar.

With limited written resources available, this misconception persisted throughout history until the equation became strongly associated with the Greek mathematician. People came to believe it was his discovery.

Furthermore, former students might have wanted to pay homage to their esteemed teacher, which likely contributed to this significant misunderstanding.

“…out of respect for their leader, many of the discoveries made by the Pythagoreans were attributed to Pythagoras himself; this would account for the term ‘Pythagoras’ Theorem’,” added Ranter.