Pythagorean

Theorem
Who is Pythagoras?
Pythagoras was a Greek
philosopher who lived from
569 BC to 475 BC.
He is most famous for the
theorem named after him: The
Pythagorean Theorem.
While it remains unclear if
Pythagoras actually solved the
1,000 year old Babylonian
calculation, it is credited to his
name due to his discovery of it.
 The Theorem
a 2 + b2 = c 2 a
c

b
Theorem: The sum of the squares of the
lengths of the legs of a right triangle is equal
to the square of the length of the
hypotenuse.
It has to be RIGHT
In order for this theorem
to work, we must be
measuring the sides of a
right triangle.
A triangle is only
considered to be a right
triangle if one of it’s This little square
symbolizes that this
angles measures 90° angle is a right angle
 Key Terms
The hypotenuse is the
longest side of the right
c triangle and is found
a
opposite of the right
angle
b
“Legs” are the sides
of the triangle that
form the 90° angle
 Test the formula
Step one : determine the legs and the hypotenuse
legs : a=3 b=4
hypotenuse : c= 5
Now place this information
5 into the formula: a2 + b2 = c2
3 32 + 4 2 = 5 2
9 + 16 = 25
4 √25 = 5
Practice using the Theorem
In this case what numerical
values would represent a, b
and c from our theorem? x
12
– a = 12 b = 9 c=x
Plug this information into
the formula : a2 + b2 = c2 9
122 + 92 = x 144 + 81 = 225
Remember that 225 is not the final answer, you
must take the square root of that to solve for x
√225 = 15 = x =c
When the hypotenuse is already given
a=x b = 12 c= 13
13
x
x2 + 122 = 132

12 x2 + 144 = 169

x2 = 25

x=5=a
 Important
Remember that the Pythagorean theorem only
works if the triangle is a right triangle
For example, if a triangle has sides that
measure 8, 10, and 7, is it a right triangle?
Let a = 8, b= 7, and we know c must equal 10 because the
hypotenuse is the longest side.

82 + 72 ≠ 102 so we can conclude that a triangle with those

side measurements is NOT a right triangle
Have you noticed?
The set of three numbers that work to
solve the Pythagorean theorem are
known as Pythagorean triples.
These triples can only consist of:
– All even numbers
• Examples: (6, 8, 10) (10, 24, 26) ( 12, 16, 20)
– Two odd numbers and an even number
• Examples: (3, 4, 5) (5, 12, 13) (7, 24, 25)
 How the Theorem
Works
All the triangles below are the
same size, and have just been
rotated 90°
c
a
b
c
When you put the triangles
together without any further
rotations, they form a square
where the sides are equal to c
Modern Uses of the Pythagorean
Theorem
Modern Uses of the Pythagorean Theorem