In addition to math and astronomy, Pythagoreans specialized in music. They viewed it as a part of their religious life, so it was more than just entertainment for them. Stringed instruments were said to promote excellent health and good luck. Specific instruments, such as wind instruments, were seen as harmful to the soul so they were not used by Pythagoreans. Pythagoras …show more content…
He gave numbers geometric shapes, using dots, because there were no symbols for numbers at the time. A number could be triangular, linear, rectangular, pentagonal, or a combination of any. Pythagoras’ dot system led to the discovery of multiple theorems. His theorems are still used today, but instead of using dots, they now use equations to express these theorems. His most popular theorem is the Pythagorean Theorem, stating that in a right triangle, the square of the length of the triangle's longest side equals the sum of the squares of the lengths of the two shortest sides. The Pythagorean Theorem is written as a2+b2= c2. Although it is known for a fact that Pythagoras did not create this theorem, he is credited with is because he proved it to be true. The Egyptians knew about this theorem long before Pythagoras, and it is likely that the Babylonians did, too. Pythagoreans worked diligently on scientifically proving the theorem, and they regularly used squares to do so. Many historians and mathematicians marvel at the fact that Pythagoreans were able to validate the Pythagorean Theorem using geometric shapes, instead of