Pythagoras...A Snowball's Chance Quiz

Answer: Venus

The Pythagoreans believed the planets were attached to crystalline spheres and each planet had it's own sphere. These spheres were centered on the Earth which also was in constant motion. Pythagoras initially developed this concept from Anaximander's theory of perfect circular motion.

Answer: sound

Pythagoras propagated the idea that the Earth was not the center of the universe like Plato did, thus making it a planet that had an orbit like the others. The distance between the planets were mathematically proportionate, with some planets moving at faster speeds and others slower.

The planets that moved slower produced lower pitches and the faster ones, a higher pitch. By doing so, each planet in its orbit creates its own note. This "note" coupled with the ratio of the distances of each orbit, make the resultant sound concordant. Remembering that numbers, the Pythagoreans said, caused this harmony, they positioned numbers as the primary principle on which the entire universe was based.

The Pythagoreans named this numerical and acoustic coupling, the "harmony of the spheres."

Answer: 10

According to Pythagoras "the number ten is the very nature of number." Even during Pythagoras' time counting to ten was commonly used, by Greeks and even barbarians (non-Greeks). The power of ten has unity even with the number four (the tetrad), because by adding the sum of 1+2+3+4 you equal the number ten.

The number ten was known as the sum of all parts and showed that all things were complete. Pythagoras then divided the planets into ten spheres, each with concentric circles. These circles began at the center starting with the globe of divine fire. Next came the seven planets, then the earth, and the Antichthon which was never seen. This tenth "wandering" planet (Antichthon) was said to be a counter-Earth, allowing the solar system to have better balance as the planets orbited a "central" fire.

Answer: mortal

The noted Greek biographer and mathematician Diogenes Laertius, in his most noted work, "Lives of Eminent Philosophers," places his subjects in one of two divisions, the Ionic or the Italian schools. Pythagoras begins Laertius' order in the Italian school where his quote can be found there.

Answer: The Bride's Chair

Known as the "foundation of Freemasonry" by many, the Bride's Chair is said to be illustration of proving the Pythagorean Theorum. Also known as Proof 1, it is the most famous of the Pythagorean propositions. It is the first of Euclid's two proofs.

Answer: 1

To the Pythagoreans the number one represented the unity that underpinned the whole of creation.

The number two was considered the "number of opinion" and was also considered the first female or even number. At the time, zero was not considered a number since it had no value. The number one was actually considered the Pythagoreans' first whole number.

Answer: Croton

Pythagoras had many beliefs that were not widely accepted by all Pythagoreans. Around 480 BCE, the Pythagorean Society at Croton was attacked by another fellow Crotonian named Cylon. Pythagoras barely escaped and finally settled in Metapontium where it is said he died there, possibly from suicide.

Answer: to abstain from beans

It was also against their religion to stir a fire with iron, to pick up anything which has fallen, or to look into a mirror beside a light. Supposedly, if you do gaze at a mirror as such, it will show you a very haunted version of your home. I found that choice morsel at paranormalsoup.com. I doubt if these beliefs all came from Pythagoras. I thought this was a hoot.

Answer: Samos

Supposedly after many problems in Samos he moved to Croton (Italy) where he felt safer and able to more easily continue his work. Other famous Samians include Epicurus as well as Aesop.

Answer: Pythagoras

I suppose if one created his own religion and famous mathematical theorums, we too could be a little full of ourselves. Pythagoras propagated the idea that the Earth was not the center of the universe, thus making it a planet that had an orbit like the other planets. It is interesting to see as mystic side of Pythagoras coupled with a scientific one.