/lit/ - Literature

>>13635944
Given the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the sides, we can see that d^2 = s^2 + s^2, so d^2 = 2s^2, so d^2/s^2 = 2, so the ratio d/s= sqrt 2. In modern terms, what the Pythagoreans learned was that is an irrational number. But as far as they were concerned, they had discovered that there was a physical relationship, the ratio d:s, which was not representable in terms of numbers. Since they did not recognize the existence of ratios other than the natural number ratios, the ratio d:s was called alogos, meaning “inexpressible.” It was also called arratos, meaning “not having a ratio.”
- from Infinity and the Mind, Rudy Rucker