PYTHAGORAS
P. SELVAMEENAKSHI
MATHEMATICS
Personal Profile
Famous As : Philosopher and Mathematician
Nationality : Greek
Born On : 570 BC
Born In : Samos
Father : Mnesarchus
Mother : Pythais
Spouse : Theano
Children : Damo, Myia, Arignote, Telauges
Education : Pythagoreanism
Achievements : 'Pythagoras Theorem' and Philosophical teachings.
Died On : 495 BC
Death Place : Metapontum
Pythagoras
Pythagoras was a well-known mathematician,
scientist and a religious teacher. He was born in Samos and is often hailed as
the first great mathematician. Pythagoras is remembered today for his famous
theorem in geometry, the 'Pythagoras Theorem'. His mentors were Thales,
Pherekydes and Anaximander, who inspired him to pursue mathematics and
astronomy. Pythagoras also made important discoveries in music, astronomy and
medicine. He accepted priesthood and performed the rites that were required in
order to enter one of the temples in Egypt, known as Diospolis. He set up a
brotherhood with some of his followers, who practiced his way of life and
pursued his religious ideologies. He became one of the most distinguished
teachers of religion in ancient Greece. Read on to know more about the
childhood and career of this ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician.
Childhood and Early Life
Pythagoras was born in the
island of Samos in around 569 BC. His father, Mnesarchus, was a merchant and
his mother Pythais, was a native of Samos. Young Pythagoras spent most of his
early years in Samos but travelled to many places with his father. He was
intelligent, well-educated. Pythagoras was also fond of poetry and recited the
poems of Homer There are no authentic records related to the life of the great
scholar, so the exact dates and other issues cannot be determined with
certainty. But, it is believed that it was around 570 BC that he was born. His
first teacher was Pherecydes, and Pythagoras stayed in touch with him until the
latter's death. When Pythagoras was about 18 years old, he went to the island
of Lesbos. There, he worked and learned from Anaximander, an astronomer and
philosopher, and Thales of Miletus, a very wise philosopher and mathematician.
Mathematical Concepts
Pythagoras
studied properties of numbers and classified them as even numbers, odd numbers,
triangular numbers and perfect numbers etc. The ‘Pythagoras theorem’ is one of
the earliest theorems in geometry, which states that in right-angle triangles,
the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of square the other two sides.
This theorem was already proposed during the reign of the Babylonian King
Hammurabi, but Pythagoras applied it to mathematics and science and refined the
concept. Pythagoras also asserted that dynamics of the structure of the
universe lies on the interaction of the contraries or the opposites, such as,
light and darkness, limited and unlimited, square and oblong, straight and
crooked, right and left, singularity and plurality, male and female, motionless
and movement and good and bad. Pythagoras was known as "The Father of
numbers". He made
significant contributions to philosophy and religious teaching, in the late 6th
century BC. He even believed that everything was related to mathematics, and
could be predicted and measured in rhythmic patterns or cycles. Pythagoras also
went to Sidon, where he was initiated into the Mysteries of Tyre and Byblos.
Then, he proceeded to egypt. There, he put himself under the instruction of the
teachers of Thales. He spent the next twenty-two years perfecting mathematics,
astronomy and music, and was finally initiated into Egyptian mysteries.
Career
It is believed that
philosophers like Thales, Pherekydes and Anaximander influenced Pythagoras to a
great extent when he was young. Thales created a strong impression on him. He
contributed to Pythagoras’s interest in astronomy and mathematics. On Thales’s
advice, Pythagoras travelled to Egypt and learned a great deal about astronomy
and mathematics there. He attended many lectures given by Anaximander, who was
Thales’s pupil. Anaximander’s interest in cosmology and geometry influenced
Pythagoras to a large extent.
Pythagoras of Samos is often described as the first pure mathematician. He is
an extremely important figure in the development of mathematics yet we know
relatively little about his mathematical achievements. Unlike many later Greek
mathematicians, where at least we have some of the books which they wrote, we
have nothing of Pythagoras's writings. The society which he led, half religious
and half scientific, followed a code of secrecy which certainly means that
today Pythagoras is a mysterious figure.
We do have details of Pythagoras's
life from early biographies which use important original sources yet are
written by authors who attribute divine powers to him, and whose aim was to
present him as a god-like figure. What we present below is an attempt to
collect together the most reliable sources to reconstruct an account of
Pythagoras's life. There is fairly good agreement on the main events of his
life but most of the dates are disputed with different scholars giving dates
which differ by 20 years. Some historians treat all this information as merely
legends but, even if the reader treats it in this way, being such an early
record it is of historical importance.
Pythagoras's father was Mnesarchus,
while his mother was Pythais and she was
a native of Samos. Mnesarchus was a merchant who came from Tyre, and there is a
story that he brought corn to Samos at a time of famine and was granted
citizenship of Samos as a mark of gratitude. As a child Pythagoras spent his
early years in Samos but travelled widely with his father. There are accounts
of Mnesarchus returning to Tyre with Pythagoras and that he was taught there by
the Chaldaeans and the learned men of Syria. It seems that he also visited
Italy with his father.
Little is known of Pythagoras's
childhood. All accounts of his physical appearance are likely to be fictitious
except the description of a striking birthmark which Pythagoras had on his
thigh. It is probable that he had two brothers although some sources say that
he had three. Certainly he was well educated, learning to play the lyre,
learning poetry and to recite Homer. There were, among his teachers, three philosophers who
were to influence Pythagoras while he was a young man. One of the most
important was Pherekydes who many describe as the teacher of Pythagoras.
The other two philosophers who were to influence Pythagoras,
and to introduce him to mathematical ideas, were Thales and his pupil Anaximander who both lived on Miletus. In it is
said that Pythagoras visited Thales in Miletus when he was between 18 and
20 years old. By this time Thales was an old man and, although he
created a strong impression on Pythagoras, he probably did not teach him a
great deal. However he did contribute to Pythagoras's
interest in mathematics and astronomy, and advised him to travel to Egypt to
learn more of these subjects. Thales's
pupil, Anaximander, lectured on Miletus and Pythagoras attended these lectures.
Anaximander certainly was interested in geometry and cosmology and many of his ideas would influence
Pythagoras's own views.
In about 535 BC Pythagoras went to Egypt. This happened a few
years after the tyrant Polycrates seized control of the city of Samos. There is
some evidence to suggest that Pythagoras and Polycrates were friendly at first
and it is claimed that Pythagoras went
to Egypt with a letter of introduction written by Polycrates. In fact
Polycrates had an alliance with Egypt and there were therefore strong links
between Samos and Egypt at this time. The accounts of Pythagoras's time in
Egypt suggest that he visited many of the temples and took part in many
discussions with the priests. According to Porphyry Pythagoras was refused admission to
all the temples except the one at Diospolis where he was accepted into the
priesthood after completing the rites necessary for admission.
It is not difficult to relate many of Pythagoras's beliefs,
ones he would later impose on the society that he set up in Italy, to the
customs that he came across in Egypt. For example the secrecy of the Egyptian
priests, their refusal to eat beans, their refusal to wear even cloths made
from animal skins, and their striving for purity were all customs that
Pythagoras would later adopt. Porphyry says that Pythagoras learnt geometry
from the Egyptians but it is likely that he was already acquainted with
geometry, certainly after teachings from Thales and Anaximander.
In 525 BC Cambyses II, the king of
Persia, invaded Egypt. Polycrates abandoned his alliance with Egypt and sent 40
ships to join the Persian fleet against the Egyptians. After Cambyses had won
the Battle of Pelusium in the Nile Delta and had captured Heliopolis and
Memphis, Egyptian resistance collapsed. Pythagoras was taken prisoner and taken
to Babylon.
Death and legacy
Most of his works were lost
throughout the history and very few survived. Pythagorean brotherhood couldn’t
survive for long as they were suppressed. According to certain historical
accounts Pythagoras died along with his disciples in the temple, while some
other evidences suggest that he fled to Tarentum and then to Metapontum, where
he starved himself to death.
