Name Date Pythagoras: the Father of Numbers By Mary Lynn Bushong Why is it hard to learn about people who lived a long time ago? Records were difficult to preserve. Clay tablets were easily broken, while papyrus, paper, and parchment could be destroyed any number of ways. While many facts about Pythagoras are not certain, some are fairly well established. He was born between 580 and 572 BC on the Greek island of Samos. His mother, Pythais, was a native of Samos, while his father, Mnesarchus, was a Phoenician merchant. It is thought that Pythagoras traveled widely with his father. Some stories about Pythagoras have him staying in Tyre, his father's home city. As a child and young man, he was taught music and played the lyre well. He was also taught poetry, philosophy, and math. Three of the philosopher tutors who had a great influence on his own ideas were Pherekydes, Thales, and Anaximander. Through those three men, Pythagoras became interested in cosmology and mathematics. Later he was encouraged to travel to Egypt to build on his knowledge. There they had perfected the use of geometry. At that time there were strong political ties between Samos and Egypt. Even so, there were limits to the places where Pythagoras could go. He wanted to learn more about the Egyptian's religion. After much searching he found one temple that would train him. Some of the things he learned there made their way into the beliefs of the society he would found. In 525 BC, Egypt was attacked, and Pythagoras was carried off as a prisoner of war to Babylon. While there he studied under the Babylonian wise men. After five years in Babylon, Pythagoras was able to return to Samos. Drawing upon the ideas he had been exposed to while he was away, he established a group he called the "Semicircle" of Pythagoras. They believed that there was not enough morality in the world. He stayed in a cave nearby where he could ponder questions about life and math. About two years later, Pythagoras left Samos and moved to the southern Italian town of Croton. There he founded a religious and philosophical school. He was, of course, the head. His inner circle was called the "mathematicians," while the students were called the "listeners." All of his followers were called Pythagoreans. While the Pythagorean Theorem was known to the Babylonians and others, it is thought that Pythagoras was the first to prove it. He found that when there was a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse equaled the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides. According to Pythagoras and his followers, math could be found in every part of nature. Additionally, math was an important part of music. He studied the properties of numbers, whether they were even or odd, or if they were perfect numbers. He also thought at first that the Earth was the center of the universe but later changed his mind. Pythagoras was very choosy about those he allowed to join his group. When he would not allow a man named Cylon to join the group, the man became bitter. He began attacking the Pythagoreans. Pythagoras left Croton for a time. Some say he never returned: others say that he did return and that his group grew. Name Date It is thought that Pythagoras was between 80 and 100 years old when he died (500-480 BC). Whatever his age, Pythagoras helped establish math as an important science. It's no wonder that he's called the father of numbers. Pythagoras: the Father of Numbers Questions 1. Pythagoras was from: A. Samos B. Babylon C. Egypt D. Tyre 2. Pythagoras probably traveled widely as a child. A. True B. False 3. What subject was Pythagoras not taught? A. Poetry B. Music C. Philosophy D. Computer programming 4. He developed an interest in cosmology and math because of his three tutors. A. True B. False 5. Pythagoras studied to be an Egyptian priest. A. True B. False 6. How did Pythagoras end up in Babylon? A. He worked as a trader. B. He was an ambassador. C. He was a missionary. D. He was a prisoner of war. 7. Pythagoras' inner circle was called the: A. Professors B. Listeners C. Speakers D. Mathematicians 8. What is one thing mentioned that Pythagoras is known for? Name Date If Pythagoras lived today, how do you think his ideas would be received? How do you think Pythagoras' contributions to math and geometry have affected the modern world?.