Pythagorean Theorem

The earliest records of the Pythagorean Theorem can be traced back to the ancient Babylonian civilization, around 2000 BC. The Babylonians used a numerical relation equivalent to the Pythagorean theorem, but gave no geometric proof. For example, they found that if the lengths of the two short sides of a right triangle were 3 and 4, then the length of the hypotenuse would be 5. This numerical relationship is widely used in land surveying and construction engineering.