The Cult of Pythagoras: Math and Myths - Softcover

Martinez, Alberto A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0822962705 ISBN 13: 9780822962700

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2013

Synopsis

In this follow-up to his popular Science Secrets, Alberto A. Martínez discusses various popular myths from the history of mathematics: that Pythagoras proved the hypotenuse theorem, that Archimedes figured out how to test the purity of a gold crown while he was in a bathtub, that the Golden Ratio is in nature and ancient architecture, that the young Galois created group theory the night before the pistol duel that killed him, and more. Some stories are partly true, others are entirely false, but all show the power of invention in history. Pythagoras emerges as a symbol of the urge to conjecture and “fill in the gaps” of history. He has been credited with fundamental discoveries in mathematics and the sciences, yet there is nearly no evidence that he really contributed anything to such fields at all. This book asks: how does history change when we subtract the many small exaggerations and interpolations that writers have added for over two thousand years?

The Cult of Pythagoras is also about invention in a positive sense. Most people view mathematical breakthroughs as “discoveries” rather than invention or creativity, believing that mathematics describes a realm of eternal ideas. But mathematicians have disagreed about what is possible and impossible, about what counts as a proof, and even about the results of certain operations. Was there ever invention in the history of concepts such as zero, negative numbers, imaginary numbers, quaternions, infinity, and infinitesimals?

Martínez inspects a wealth of primary sources, in several languages, over a span of many centuries. By exploring disagreements and ambiguities in the history of the elements of mathematics, The Cult of Pythagoras dispels myths that obscure the actual origins of mathematical concepts. Martínez argues that an accurate history that analyzes myths reveals neglected aspects of mathematics that can encourage creativity in students and mathematicians.

About this title

About the Author:

Alberto A. Martínez is a tenured professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin. 
He is the author of Burned Alive: Giordano Bruno, Galileo and the Inquisition (Reaktion 2018), Science Secrets: The Truth about Darwin's Finches, Einstein's Wife, and Other Myths (University of Pittsburgh Press 2011), Kinematics: The Lost Origins of Einstein's Relativity (Johns Hopkins University Press 2009), and Negative Math: How Mathematical Rules Can Be Positively Bent (Princeton University Press 2006).Prof. Martínez also has a new book about the political news media during the U.S. presidential election of 2015-16: The Media Versus the Apprentice: The Devil Mr. Trump (Saltshadow Castle 2019).

Review:

"exhaustive historical research... an enjoyable read... an enormous amount of research... impressive... valuable... entertaining and carefully researched... enjoyable... The author leaves us with lessons that are simple and wise: Healthy skepticism is important for the advancement of knowledge. And the struggle that accompanies this skepticism is worth it."
― American Mathematical Monthly 

"the author has done an excellent job of compiling primary sources to demonstrate how myths about mathematicians have grown and indeed been intentionally fostered. ... This may be the most valuable part of The Cult of Pythagoras--by understanding not just the myth itself, but the process of mythologizing, we can learn something about mathematics and mathematicians."― The Mathematical Intelligencer 

"OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC TITLE: The author carefully compares sources in order to extract what might be fact; his scholarship is admirable. Every subject needs its history told in a careful and useful manner, and Martínez clearly succeeds in this endeavor. This book is a good addition to all libraries where seekers of truth might find some satisfaction."― Choice

"a historically accurate discussion of the many great stories in mathematics. ... an excellent supplement for a course on mathematics for teachers. ...As an algebraist I found this discussion extremely interesting, but what I liked most was that it was completely accessible to anyone. ...I think this book would be great for any undergraduate student. ... I really enjoyed this book and think it would be a worthwhile read for anyone, but especially a student interested in the history behind the rules mathematicians now take for granted."― Mathematical Association of America, MathDL

"it turns out that virtually all the stories about Pythagoras were untrue."― Mathematical Gazette

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 0822962705
• ISBN 13: 9780822962700
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288