History of mathematical notation back to any school or period before that of the Ionian Greeks, but the subsequent history may be divided into periods, the distinctions between which are tolerably well marked. Greek mathematics, which originated with the study of geometry, tended from its commencement to be deductive and scientific. Since the fourth century AD, Pythagoras has commonly been given credit for discovering the Pythagorean theorem, a theorem in geometry that states that in a right-angled triangle the area of the square on the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares of
Special right triangle are in the ratio 1 : 2 : 3 and respectively measure 30° (), 60° (), and 90° (). The sides are in the ratio 1 : : 2. The proof of this fact is clear using trigonometry. The geometric proof is: The 30°–60°–90° triangle is the only right triangle whose angles are in an arithmetic progression. The proof of this fact is simple and follows on from the fact that if "α", , are the angles in the progression then the sum of the angles = 180°. After dividing by 3, the angle must be 60°. The right angle