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In mathematics, the Pythagorean theorem or Pythagoras' theorem is a fundamental relation in Euclidean geometry between the three sides of a right triangle.It states that the area of the square whose side is the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares on the other two sides.
In a right triangle, the hypotenuse is the side that is opposite the right angle, while the other two sides are called the catheti or legs. [7] The length of the hypotenuse can be calculated using the square root function implied by the Pythagorean theorem. It states that the sum of the two legs squared equals the hypotenuse squared.
The diagonals of a square are (about 1.414) times the length of a side of the square. This value, known as the square root of 2 or Pythagoras' constant, [1] was the first number proven to be irrational. A square can also be defined as a parallelogram with equal diagonals that bisect the angles.
To complete the square, form a squared binomial on the left-hand side of a quadratic equation, from which the solution can be found by taking the square root of both sides. The standard way to derive the quadratic formula is to apply the method of completing the square to the generic quadratic equation a x 2 + b x + c = 0 {\displaystyle ...
This crucial step completes a larger square of side length + . Completing the square is the oldest method of solving general quadratic equations , used in Old Babylonian clay tablets dating from 1800–1600 BCE, and is still taught in elementary algebra courses today.
In ancient Roman architecture, Vitruvius describes the use of the square root of 2 progression or ad quadratum technique. It consists basically in a geometric, rather than arithmetic, method to double a square, in which the diagonal of the original square is equal to the side of the resulting square. Vitruvius attributes the idea to Plato.
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For instance, the triangle with sides = = and = is a right triangle, but (,,) is not a Pythagorean triple because the square root of 2 is not an integer or ratio of integers. Moreover, 1 {\displaystyle 1} and 2 {\displaystyle {\sqrt {2}}} do not have an integer common multiple because 2 {\displaystyle {\sqrt {2}}} is irrational .