Pythagoras (c. 570–495 BCE)

Question 1

Where was Pythagoras born?

Answer 1

On the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea.

Question 2

What is Pythagoras most famous for?

Answer 2

The Pythagorean Theorem, which states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

Question 3

What philosophical and religious group did Pythagoras found?

Answer 3

The Pythagorean Brotherhood.

Question 4

True or False: Pythagoras wrote many books about his theories.

Answer 4

False: None of Pythagoras’ writings survive, and much of what we know comes from later sources.

Question 5

During which time period did Pythagoras live?

Answer 5

Around the 6th century BCE.

Question 6

Which cultures influenced Pythagoras during his travels?

Answer 6

Egyptian, Babylonian, and possibly Indian cultures.

Question 7

Fill in the blank: Pythagoras believed that the universe could be explained by _____.

Answer 7

numbers.

Question 8

What was one of Pythagoras’ key contributions to music theory?

Answer 8

He discovered that the length of a string produces harmonies in mathematical ratios.

Question 9

What were some of the key beliefs of the Pythagorean Brotherhood?

Answer 9

The immortality of the soul, reincarnation, and the importance of living a pure and disciplined life.

Question 10

How did Pythagoras’ work influence future philosophers?

Answer 10

His ideas on numbers and metaphysics influenced Plato and later Western philosophy.

Question 11

What controversy surrounds Pythagoras’ death?

Answer 11

It is said he died because he refused to flee through a bean field, due to his strict dietary rules.

Question 12

What were the historical challenges faced by the Pythagorean Brotherhood?

Answer 12

They faced persecution and hostility from political authorities, leading to the eventual destruction of their community.

Question 13

Fill in the blank: Pythagoras’ belief in ____ led to the idea that souls could be reincarnated in humans or animals.

Answer 13

metempsychosis (the transmigration of souls).

Question 14

What mathematical concept did Pythagoras’ work lay the foundation for?

Answer 14

Geometry, especially through the Pythagorean Theorem.

Question 15

What did Pythagoras contribute to cosmology?

Answer 15

He introduced the idea of the ‘harmony of the spheres,’ where planetary motions correspond to musical ratios.

Question 16

What unique dietary restriction did Pythagoras and his followers have?

Answer 16

They abstained from eating beans, for unclear but possibly mystical reasons.

Question 17

How did Pythagoras’ idea of numerical harmony impact later thinkers?

Answer 17

It influenced later scientific and philosophical thought, including the work of Copernicus and Kepler in astronomy.

Question 18

Fill in the blank: Pythagoras’ belief that numbers govern the universe led to the concept of ____ harmony.

Answer 18

numerical.

Question 19

How are Pythagoras’ ideas viewed today?

Answer 19

He is remembered for his contributions to mathematics, philosophy, and for blending mysticism with scientific inquiry.

Question 20

What is a funny fact about Pythagoras?

Answer 20

He supposedly had a bean phobia and might have died because he refused to cross a bean field!