Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. List of Color Plates ix
4. Preface xi
5. Prologue: Cambridge, England, 1993 1
6. 1. Mesopotamia, 1800 BCE 4
7. Sidebar 1: Did the Egyptians Know It? 13
8. 2. Pythagoras 17
9. 3. Euclid’s Elements 32
10. Sidebar 2: The Pythagorean Theorem in Art, Poetry, and Prose 45
11. 4. Archimedes 50
12. 5. Translators and Commentators, 500–1500 CE 57
13. 6. François Viète Makes History 76
14. 7. From the Infinite to the Infinitesimal 82
15. Sidebar 3: A Remarkable Formula by Euler 94
16. 8. 371 Proofs, and Then Some 98
17. Sidebar 4: The Folding Bag 115
18. Sidebar 5: Einstein Meets Pythagoras 117
19. Sidebar 6: A Most Unusual Proof 119
20. 9. A Theme and Variations 123
21. Sidebar 7: A Pythagorean Curiosity 140
22. Sidebar 8: A Case of Overuse 142
23. 10. Strange Coordinates 145
24. 11. Notation, Notation, Notation 158
25. 12. From Flat Space to Curved Spacetime 168
26. Sidebar 9: A Case of Misuse 177
27. 13. Prelude to Relativity 181
28. 14. From Bern to Berlin, 1905–1915 188
29. Sidebar 10: Four Pythagorean Brainteasers 197
30. 15. But Is It Universal? 201
31. 16. Afterthoughts 208
32. Epilogue: Samos, 2005 213
33. Appendixes 218
34. Chronology 245
35. Bibliography 251
36. Illustrations Credits 255
37. Index 257