Thales of Miletus

By Edward Zeinoun

Introduction:
Thales is a pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Asia Minor. He is regarded to be the first philosopher in the Greek tradition, and was also the first to define general principles and as a result has been dubbed as The Father of Science.

Life
Lived 624 BC 547 BC Born in the city of Miletus, an ancient Greek city Influenced by Babylonian Astronomy & Ancient Egyptian mathematics and religion. Influenced several mathematicians, one of them is Pythagoras.

Astronomy
Thales once predicted a solar eclipse which has been determined by modern methods to have been on May 28, 585 BC.

Work in Math
Known for his innovative use of geometry. His understanding was theoretical as well as practical. Understood similar and right triangles and used that knowledge in practical ways. Hypothesized Thales theorem that is still used in modern geometry.

Thales Theorem
Also known as the intercept theorem: The line parallel to one side of a triangle divides the other sides proportionally CD/CA=CE/CB

Converse
Any line that divides two sides of a triangle proportionally is parallel to the third side. Take line (DE) with D & E points on AC & BC respectively such that BE/BC=AD/AC, then the line (DE) is parallel to AB.

Thank You
Questions?