One of the many maths myths found online is that Pythagoras never lived. So, the argument goes, the Right Angle Triangle Theorem (RATT) a² + b² = c² should not be named after him.

Yet, no official change to India’s NCERT maths textbooks should be built on the back of a myth.

I am an elementary mathematics historian. I am also a passionate advocate for both rigorous research and the superiority of Bharatiya Maths. So, I set out to finally do some long overdue mathematical myth-busting. The surprising result is this…

  1. Pythagoras was a real person.

  2. He didn’t discover the triangle theorem or prove it.

Given the theorem has been wrongly named for centuries, who should it be named after? The only other person linked to the RATT who did document the theorem is India’s Baudhayana!

So, do you want true credit to be given to India, rather than false credit to Greece? If so, please take 30 seconds to sign the online petition to return the long-lost truth to India’s maths education.

Pythagoras is Out – Baudhayana is In(dia).

UPDATE!

Karnataka National Education Policy (NEP) task force chief Madan Gopal, has signed the petition, shared it and said: “the scholarly evidence is clear”.

So, please sign the petition and make the next few moments count!

Thank you.
Jonathan J. Crabtree @jcrabtree
Podometic Bharatiya Maths Founder
www.podometic.in

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