Pythagoras

Theorem

and its

Pythag
oras

Pythagoras lived in the500s BC, and was one of the first Greek
mathematical thinkers. He spent most of his life in the Greek colonies
in Sicily and southern Italy. He had a group of followers called The
Pythagoreans.
Pythagoreans were interested inphilosophy, but especially in music
and mathematics, two ways of makingorderout of chaos. Pythagoras
himself is best known for proving that the Pythagorean Theorem was
true. TheSumerians, two thousand years earlier, already knew that it
was generally true, and they used it in their measurements, but
Pythagoras is said to have proved that it would always be true.

Statement of
Pythagoras
Theorem
The famous theorem by
Pythagoras dened the
relationship between the three
sides of a right triangle.
Pythagorean Theorem says that
in a right triangle, the sum of
the squares of the two rightangle sides will always be the
same as the square of the
hypotenuse.

Now, we shall prove this theorem using the concept

of similarity of triangles. In proving this, we shall
make use of a result related to similarity of two
triangles formed by the perpendicular to the
hypotenuse from the opposite vertex of the right
triangle.

Now, let us take a right triangle ABC, right angled at B. Let BD be the
perpendicular to the hypotenuse AC .
You may note that in ADB and ABC
A=A
and

ADB = ABC

So,

ADB ~ ABC

Similarly,

(Common)
(Right)
(AA Similarity Criteria) (1)

BDC ~ ABC

(AA Similarity Criteria) (2)

So, from (1) and (2), triangles on both sides of the perpendicular BD
are similar to the whole triangle ABC.
Also, since

ADB ~ ABC

and

BDC ~ ABC

So,

ADB ~ BDC

The above discussion leads to the following theorem :

Theorem 1 : If a perpendicular is drawn from the vertex of
the right angle of a right triangle to the hypotenuse then
triangles on both sides of the perpendicular are similar to the
whole triangle and to each other.

Let us now apply this theorem in proving

the Pythagoras Theorem:

Pythagoras Theorem : In a
right triangle, the square
of the hypotenuse is equal
to the sum of the squares
of the other two sides.

Proof
We are given a right triangle ABC right angled at B.
We need to prove that AC2 = AB2 + BC2
Let us draw BD AC
(see Fig).
Now,

ADB ~ ABC

(Theorem 1)

So,

AD/AB = AB/AC

(Sides are proportional)

Or,

AD.AC = AB2

(1)
B

Also,

BDC ~ ABC

So,

CD/BC = BC/AC

Or,

CD.AC = BC2

(Theorem 1)

(2)

Adding (1) and (2),

AD.AC + CD.AC = AB2 + BC2
or,

AC (AD + CD) = AB2 + BC2

or,

AC.AC = AB2 + BC2

or,

AC2 = AB2 + BC2

Hence Proved.

The above theorem was earlier

given by an ancient Indian
mathematician Baudhayan (about
800 B.C.) in the following form :
The diagonal of a rectangle
produces by itself the same area as
produced by its both sides (i.e.,
length and breadth).
For this reason, this theorem is

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Class : Tenth
D

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