Pythagoras was born in Samos around 569 BCE and is often hailed as the first great mathematician. Pythagoras' theorem has been famous since he devised it and is still being taught in schools today. However, there isn't a lot of accurate information about Pythagoras himself. Pythagoras became famous from forming a group. This group was full of mathematicians of great abilities. The group was said to be almost a cult which had symbols, rituals and prayers. No one could join the group unless he was believed to be wise enough and trustworthy. They once murdered a man for threatening to tell the outside world their mathematical secret which was the Pythagoras theorem.
Although the evidence regarding his life is unreliable, we know that Pythagoras was also a scientist and religious teacher. In 539 BCE Pythagoras went to Egypt and became a priest. He learnt geometry in Egypt and also developed his attitude to life. He later founded a school in Croton (Italy) based on the following principles (1) that at its deepest level, reality is mathematical in nature, (2) that philosophy can be used for spiritual purification, (3) that the soul can rise to union with the divine, (4) that certain symbols have a mystical significance, and (5) that all brothers of the order should observe strict loyalty and secrecy. Both men and women were members of the group and they formed many mathematical concepts as well as the famous theorem. One of these was the relation of string length to tone in stringed musical instruments. It's not clear to say when Pythagoras died; some people claim he lived to be one hundred, but it is thought he died around 475 BCE. |