75 – Golden Thighs and Fava Beans – Pythagoras of Samos

About the Episode

Remember when you were in school and you learned about the Pythagorean theorem and realized it’s stupid and useless and there’s absolutely no point? Well. . . now there is. Kinda.

This week, Colin tells a tale of cannibalism and Greek gods, while Sierra speculates what kind of dinosaur Jesus rode. Join us as we discuss smart dads, music theory IV, and an entire religion based on a geometric shape. It’s strict, it’s complex, and it’s mindless. It’s math!

Subjects Covered

Pythagoras of Samos • Pythagorean Theorem • The Tetractys • Ancient Greece • Greek God Apollo • Greek God Hermes • Pythais • The Pythagorean School • Pythagoras's Golden Thigh • Pythagoreans - Vegetarians • Fava Beans • Pythagoras and Beans • Cannibalism • Rational Numbers • Numerology • Hippasus of Metapontum • The Square Root of Two / Root 2 • Math Murderer • Croton - Ancient Greek Colony • Plato's Theaetetus • Theorodus of Cyrene • Passing Gas • Mathematical Harmonies • Irrational Numbers •

Sources

• Wikipedia - Pythagoras
• Wikipedia - Tetractys
• Wikipedia - Hippasus
• Science Focus - The Square Root of Two at the Cost of a Life
• History Collection - Weird People in History
• Wikipedia - Rational Numbers
• Science ABC - How Irrational Numbers Discovered Mathematician Killed Hippasus