Pythagorean theorem. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002

Reference > The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy > 19. Physical Sciences and Mathematics

CONTENTS · INDEX · GUIDE · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. 2002.

Pythagorean theorem


(puh-thag-uh-REE-uhn, peye-thag-uh-REE-uhn) The theorem in geometry that, in a triangle with one right angle, usually called a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides.	1
‡ The theorem is often expressed a² + b² = c².	2
‡ The simplest whole number expression of this theorem is called the 3, 4, 5 triangle. In a right triangle, if one side measures three units, and the second side measures four units, the hypotenuse must measure five units because 3² + 4² = 5²; that is, 9 + 16 = 25.	3

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

CONTENTS · INDEX · GUIDE · BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

Click here to shop the Bartleby Bookstore.