Thales of Miletus in the context of "Thales' theorem"

⭐ In the context of Thales's theorem, what specific geometric condition guarantees that an angle inscribed within a circle will be a right angle?

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⭐ Core Definition: Thales of Miletus

Thales of Miletus (/ˈθeɪliːz/ THAY-leez; Ancient Greek: Θαλῆς; c. 626/623  – c. 548/545 BC) was an Ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. Thales was one of the Seven Sages, founding figures of Ancient Greece.

Beginning in eighteenth-century historiography, many came to regard him as the first philosopher in the Greek tradition, breaking from the prior use of mythology to explain the world and instead using natural philosophy. He is thus otherwise referred to as the first to have engaged in mathematics, science, and deductive reasoning.

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👉 Thales of Miletus in the context of Thales' theorem

In geometry, Thales's theorem states that if A, B, and C are distinct points on a circle where the line AC is a diameter, the angle ∠ ABC is a right angle. Thales's theorem is a special case of the inscribed angle theorem and is mentioned and proved as part of the 31st proposition in the third book of Euclid's Elements. It is generally attributed to Thales of Miletus, but it is sometimes attributed to Pythagoras.

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Thales of Miletus in the context of Anaximenes of Miletus

Anaximenes of Miletus (/ˌænækˈsɪməˌniːz/; Ancient Greek: Ἀναξιμένης ὁ Μιλήσιος, romanized: Anaximenēs ho Milēsios; c. 586/585 – c. 526/525 BC) was an Ancient Greek, pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). He was the last of the three philosophers of the Milesian School, after Thales and Anaximander. These three are regarded by historians as the first philosophers of the Western world. Little is known of Anaximenes's life and work, as all of his original texts are lost. Historians and philosophers have reconstructed information about Anaximenes by interpreting texts about him by later writers.

Anaximenes is known for his belief that air is the arche, or the basic element of the universe from which all things are created. All three Milesian philosophers were monists who believed in a single foundational source of everything: Anaximenes believed it to be air, while Thales believed it to be water and Anaximander believed it to be apeiron, an undefined infinity. It is generally accepted that Anaximenes was instructed by Anaximander, and many of their philosophical ideas are similar. While Anaximenes was the preeminent Milesian philosopher in Ancient Greece, he is often given lower importance than the others in the modern day.

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← Anaximenes of Miletus ← Thales' theorem
LINKS TO (CHILDREN)
Ancient Greek language → Ancient Greek philosophy → Pre-Socratic philosophy → Philosophy → Miletus → Ionia → Asia Minor → Seven Sages of Greece → Ancient Greece → Greek philosophy → Mythology → Natural philosophy → Mathematics → History of science → Deductive reasoning →