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  1. Hippasus - Wikipedia

    Hippasus is sometimes credited with the discovery of the existence of irrational numbers, following which he was drowned at sea. Pythagoreans preached that all numbers could be …

  2. How a Secret Society Discovered Irrational Numbers

    Jun 13, 2024 · Hippasus was a Pythagorean, a member of a sect that dealt with mathematics and number mysticism, among other things. A core element of the Pythagoreans’ teachings related …

  3. Hippasus of Metapontum | Greek philosopher | Britannica

    Hippasus of Metapontum (flourished c. 500 bc) was a philosopher and an early follower of Pythagoras. He was coupled by Aristotle with Heraclitus in identifying fire as the first element …

  4. Who Was Hippasus? - Classical Liberal Arts Academy

    Dec 11, 2025 · Hippasus of Metapontum was a Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 5th century BCE. He was a member of the Pythagorean school of thought and is …

  5. Hippasus of Metapontum | Encyclopedia.com

    Hippasus of Metapontum fl. c. 500 b.c. Greek Pythagorean philosopher credited with the discovery of irrational numbers—that is, infinite decimals with no indefinitely repeating digits.

  6. How Were Irrational Numbers Discovered? » ScienceABC

    Oct 19, 2023 · Hippasus is credited in history as the first person to prove the existence of ‘irrational’ numbers. His method involved using the technique of contradiction, in which he first …

  7. Hippasus of Metapontum (ca. 500 BC) -- from Eric Weisstein's

    Greek Pythagorean philosopher who used geometric methods to demonstrate that the hypotenuse of an isosceles triangle with legs of length one (i.e, \sqrt {2}, sometimes called …

  8. Hippasus - Wikiwand

    Hippasus of Metapontum was a Greek philosopher and early follower of Pythagoras. Little is known about his life or his beliefs, but he is sometimes credited wit...

  9. Hippasus and Irrational Numbers - Maths from the Past

    Hippasus of Metapontum, a Greek mathematician and philosopher, who probably lived in the late 5 th century BC, is widely believed to have been the first to discover irrational numbers, and to …

  10. Hippasus of Metapontum – Medieval Studies Research Blog: Meet …

    Oct 4, 2023 · Legend has it that Pythagoras sentenced the first person to discover irrational numbers, Hippasus of Metapontum (c.530-450 BC), to death. He was tossed overboard a ship …