Pythagorean theorem straightedge and compass. Pythagoras's theorem enables construction of incommensurable lengths because the hypotenuse of a triangle is related to the sides by the square root operation. The figure on the right shows how to construct line segments whose lengths are in the ratio of the square root of any positive integer. Each triangle has a side (labeled "1") that is the chosen unit for measurement. In each right triangle, Pythagoras's theorem establishes the length of the hypotenuse in terms of this unit. If a hypotenuse is related to the unit by the square root of a positive integer that is
Sum of two squares theorem Sum of two squares theorem In number theory, the sum of two squares theorem says when an integer can be written as a sum of two squares, that is, when for some integers , . This theorem supplements Fermat's two-square theorem which says when a prime number can be written as a sum of two squares, in that it also covers the case for composite numbers. The prime decomposition of the number 2450 is given by 2450 = 257. Of the primes occurring in this decomposition, 2, 5, and 7, only 7 is congruent to 3 modulo 4. Its exponent