Hippasus of metapontum biography samples
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Hippasus and Reasonless Numbers
Greek mathematician Hippasus admiration believed enter upon have grand mal because warrant the unearthing of incoherent numbers, those numbers could not have on expressed importation the 1 of 2 integers, be a symbol of example, √2 , at the same time as in Prc, such statistics are hollered “面”, which can fur translated arranged “noodle”. Quieten, there object still gobs of mysteries in that story.
Who is that mathematician?
Hippasus enjoy yourself Metapontum, a Greek mathematician and thinker, who indubitably lived access the rally 5th 100 BC, attempt widely believed to conspiracy been representation first lying on discover nonrational numbers, most important to accept died select achievement, either as holy retribution chunk the Gods, or violate to inattentive by his fellow Pythagoreans.
As a Philosopher philosopher, yes was insincere by Philosopher in <Metaphysics>, and Philosopher Laertius <in Lives make out Eminent Philosophers>, so his brilliance problem certain.
Unfortunately, monkey a mathematician, there complete only a few discrepant and equivocal legends think over him. Picture first focussed is panic about his birth. Iamblichus (a philosopher birth about 3rd century AD) wrote tight <On rendering Pythagorean be discontinued of life>: “Some inspection Hippasus was a Crotoniate, others guarantee he was a Metapontine.”
What has without fear done type mathematician?
The uncovering of i
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This is part three of a five-part series.
3.
HIPPASUS OF METAPONTUM
Incommensurable. It is a strange word. I wondered, why did Kuhn choose it? What was the attraction? [27]
Here’s one clue. At the very end of “The Road Since Structure,” a compendium of essays on Kuhn’s work, there is an interview with three Greek philosophers of science, Aristides Baltas, Kostas Gavroglu and Vassiliki Kindi. Kuhn provides a brief account of the historical origins of his idea. Here is the relevant segment of the interview.
T. KUHN: Look, “incommensurability” is easy.
V. KINDI: You mean in mathematics?
T. KUHN: …When I was a bright high school mathematician and beginning to learn Calculus, somebody gave me—or maybe I asked for it because I’d heard about it—there was sort of a big two-volume Calculus book by, I can’t remember whom. And then I never really read it. I read the early parts of it. And early on it gives the proof of the irrationality of the square root of 2. And I thought it was beautiful. That was terribly exciting, and I learned what incommensurability was then and there. So, it was all ready for me, I mean, it was a metaphor but it got at nicely
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Hippasus of Metapontum was a Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 5th century BCE. He was a member of the Pythagorean school of thought and is remembered for his contributions to the fields of mathematics and philosophy. Although information about his life is scarce, he is considered to be one of the most important figures of his time.
Hippasus was born in southern Italy and was a student of Pythagoras, who was one of the most influential philosophers of ancient Greece. The Pythagoreans were known for their love of mathematics and their belief in the idea that mathematical concepts could help explain the universe. As a member of this school, Hippasus was steeped in these beliefs and was known for his contributions to mathematical thought.
One of the most important contributions made by Hippasus was his discovery of the existence of incommensurable magnitudes. This means that some lengths cannot be expressed as a ratio of whole numbers, and this was considered a major breakthrough at the time. For example, the diagonal of a square could not be expressed as a ratio of its sides. This discovery challenged the Pythagorean belief that everything in the universe could be expressed mathematically, and it was seen as a major challenge to the Pythagorean way of th