Aside from the obvious area of math, the Pythagorean Theorem is utilized by individuals who work in the areas of architecture, design, surveying, drafting, navigation, engineering, and a number of other fields.

Architects, carpenters, and contractors use the Pythagorean Theorem on a daily basis. These individuals use special right triangle whose lengths are always integers. The measures of these right triangles form Pythagorean Triples.  Some common Pythagorean Triples are:

3-4-5

5-12-13

7-24-25

8-15-17

9-40-41

The most common of these Triples is the 3-4-5. Carpenters can use this Pythagorean Triple in order to ensure that the structure that they are building is square. If the length of one of the lines that form a right angle is a multiple of 3 and the length of the second leg is a multiple of 4, then the diagonal should measure to be a multiple of 5. For example, if  a carpenter measures a section that is 12 feet long and another section that is 16 feet long and the two sections form a right angle, the carpenter can be sure that his/her structure is square if the hypotenuse of the figure measures 20 feet.

The Pythagorean Theorem is a geometry formula that has been used for centuries. The theorem is utilized when attempting to find the length of the side of a right triangle when the lengths of the other two sides are known.  The two lines that form the right angle are called the legs; these two sides are always designated as a and b in the formula. The longest side of triangle, which is slanted, is called the hypotenuse; this length is denoted as c.  It is extremely important that c is always used for the hypotenuse. Errors frequently occur because individuals have mistakenly substituted the lengths of the one of the legs in the place of the variable c instead of a or b.

Pythagoras, a Greek philosopher and mathematician, is credited with the discovering the Pythagorean Theorem. However, evidence exists that the Babylonians were knowledgeable about the theorem. Some scholars suggest that Pythagoras may have first learned about the theorem from the Babylonians. In addition, individuals who lived in China, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and a number of other nations were familiar with the formula a thousand years before its discover by Pythagoras. Despite this fact, Pythagoras has been credited as being the first individual to prove the Pythagorean Theorem. A great number of proofs have been established since Pythagoras’ time. These proofs can be found on the Internet, in math textbooks, and in a number of reference materials.

Further information can be found in:

The Handy Math Answer Book by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Svarney

Math.com

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