Was Pythagoras Chinese?

I think that it is very important to acknowledge non-European sources of mathematics since there are many benefits that can follow from studying mathematics from different cultures. By learning that there were different ways that the different civilizations used and proved same mathematical concepts, students can learn that there are several ways to approach a question. Often the creativity is ignored in math classes and students are asked to reiterate what they saw on the board, but by acknowledging different styles and approaches of different cultures, the students can naturally comprehend that mathematics is a creative process. Also, by studying mathematics from different cultures, students can be more appreciative of different cultures as they see that there were other cultures that were just as intellectually advanced as the western societies.

 

When I first learned that Pythagoras was not the first person to discover Pythagorean theorem, I was shocked and thought about the validity of the name of the theorem. After reading this article and some others, I decided that the naming the theorem after Pythagoras is somewhat justifiable since our first record of proof of the theorem was from Pythagoreans. As for Pascal’s triangle, I understand that it is still referred as Pascal’s triangle because academia has been heavily focused on western methods in the modern times, and the study of mathematics was not as flourished in other regions as much during the same period. However, I do think that there is some need to start changing names of formulas to acknowledge that there were other cultures that came up with these ideas since academia is presented in a global stage, and not just limited to the western society anymore.