Pythagoras of Samos was an ancient philosopher and mathematician who developed theories on religion, music, and number theory. He is most famous for the Pythagorean Theorem, but also discovered irrational numbers. His teachings on numerology influenced Nostradamus. Samos, his birthplace, is now a popular tourist area, but much of the ancient architecture has been destroyed.
Pythagoras of Samos was an early philosopher and mathematician who lived between 570 and 480 BC Many of Pythagoras’ mathematical insights and discoveries have influenced modern mathematics such as the Pythagorean Theorem.
The Pythagorean theorem states that the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. Some historians believe that the Pythagorean theorem was information known to the Egyptians and Babylonians even before Pythagoras of Samos was credited with creating it. Pythagoras did develop many theories, however, which encompassed many different topics such as religion and music. All of his theories involved numbers in some way.
Pythagorean music theory states that the time between musical notes can be expressed as ratios of numbers, or wholes, from one to four. Pythagoras believed that both music and numbers are powerful for the soul. That belief formed the basis of his religious beliefs and teachings.
Pythagoras of Samos founded a school that taught what would later be advanced by Nostradamus as numerology. Pythagoras believed that numbers express reality. Just as he discovered that music can be explained by numbers, he thought that the nature of the entire universe could be explained by number theory.
Zeno of Elea and Parmenides of Elea, two other early thinkers who would later influence Aristotle’s work in logical reasoning, both disagreed with some of Pythagoras’ number theories. They claimed that some of Pythagoras’ works contradicted themselves. Pythagoras himself quickly realized that Zeno and Parmenides were right as he found that the ratio of the diagonal through a square to its sides could not be expressed as an integer as Pythagoras had thought.
The concept of irrational numbers arose, ironically due to Pythagoras’ work with rational numbers. The use of irrational numbers helped correct Pythagoras’ early calculations which became known as “the incommensurability of the diagonal.” Irrational numbers have proved to be an important concept for the future of modern mathematics.
The Greek island of Samos, home of Pythagoras, still exists today and is a popular tourist area. Most of the ancient architecture was destroyed on Samos, however, to create resort areas. Samos was once known for its wealthy inhabitants. In ancient times, Samos had a marble-paved street that held 2,000 statues and an elaborate temple. Concrete now covers the marble road.
The Greek island of Samos, home of Pythagoras, still exists today and is a popular tourist area. Most of the ancient architecture was destroyed on Samos, however, to create resort areas. Samos was once known for its wealthy inhabitants. In ancient times, Samos had a marble-paved street that held 2,000 statues and an elaborate temple. Concrete now covers the marble road today.
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