Pythagorean theorem

The theorem that the sum of the squares of the lengths of the sides of a right triangle is equal to the square of the length of the hypotenuse.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Pythag′ore′an the′orem

the theorem that the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

[1905–10]

Py·thag·o·re·an theorem

(pĭ-thăg′ə-rē′ən)

A theorem stating that the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the longest side) of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other sides. It is mathematically stated as c² = a² + b², where c is the length of the hypotenuse and a and b the lengths of the other two sides.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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References in periodicals archive

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