Relatore:	Douglas Rogers (University of Tasmania, Università degli Studi di Firenze)
Titolo:	Dissecting the Pythagorean proposition
Sunto:	The Pythagorean proposition seems to exercise a hold on the popular appreciation of mathematics perhaps beyond any other single piece of mathematics; and professional mathematicians appear to feel some need to defer to it, even when they resent doing so. Consequently, there is still much to be said on the subject. Euclid himself gives the Pythagorean proposition a double take, in Book I of The Elements in terms of congruent triangles, and again in Book VI in terms of Eudoxus' doctrine of proportionality. But it has been suggested that the protypical proof was rather by dissection; and certainly there are some striking proofs in this manner. This talk focuses on proofs by dissection, and, in particular, on dissections after the manner of the ancient Chinese mathematical commentators, notably Lui Hui, in his commentary on the Jiu Zhang Suan Shu, drawing on the speakers article ``Pythagoras framed, cut up bu Liu Hui'' to be found at http://www.unifr.ch/math/DGR1.pdf.
Luogo:	Sede del CNR, Milano, via Bassini n. 15, Sala Bassini (piano rialzato)
Data:	Mercoledì 12 Maggio 2004
Ore:	14:30