A Greek mathematician named Pythagoras discovered and proved an interesting property about right triangles: the sum of the squares of both of the triangle's legs, the sides that form the right angle, is the same length as the square of the triangle's hypotenuse, the side opposite the right angle. Algebraically, the theorem is written as a2 + b2 = c2. This Pythagorean Theorem has many applications in science, art, engineering, and architecture.
In mathematics, the Pythagorean Theorem, also known as Pythagoras's theorem, is a fundamental relation in Euclidean geometry among the three sides of a right triangle. It states that the area of the square whose side is the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares on the other two sides.
This simple but powerful equation can help us gain confidence in manipulating numbers with exponents. And because right triangles are so common, it will help us understand how useful it is to be comfortable with exponential terms.