Pythagorean Triples

Number Theory Fundamentals · 3:22

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Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Ancient Greeks discovered something strange
Right triangles with a perfect range
Three whole numbers in a special way
A squared plus B squared equals C today

But not all triples are the same you see
Some are primitive, some are family
When A and B share no common ground
That's when primitive triples can be found

[Chorus]
M squared minus N squared gives you A
Two times M times N shows you the way
M squared plus N squared equals C
Pythagorean magic, can't you see

M is bigger than N, N above zero
M and N are coprime, that's our hero
M minus N must be odd, don't forget
This formula gets every triple set

[Verse 2]
Let's take M as five and N as two
Check our conditions, see what we can do
Five is greater than two, that works fine
GCD of five and two is one, we're in line

Five minus two is three, that's odd indeed
Now we calculate what we really need
A equals twenty-five minus four
B equals twenty, C is twenty-nine for sure

[Chorus]
M squared minus N squared gives you A
Two times M times N shows you the way
M squared plus N squared equals C
Pythagorean magic, can't you see

M is bigger than N, N above zero
M and N are coprime, that's our hero
M minus N must be odd, don't forget
This formula gets every triple set

[Bridge]
Twenty squared plus twenty-one squared
Equals twenty-nine squared, perfectly paired
Four hundred plus four-forty-one
Equals eight-forty-one when we're done

From any M and N that qualify
Infinite triples we can multiply
Three-four-five and five-twelve-thirteen
Generated by this ancient machine

[Final Chorus]
M squared minus N squared gives you A
Two times M times N shows you the way
M squared plus N squared equals C
Pythagorean triples, wild and free

Remember the rules, don't let them go
M greater than N, both above zero
Coprime together, difference is odd
Euclid's gift, mathematically awed

[Outro]
Every primitive triple you will find
Comes from this formula in your mind
Pythagorean secrets now revealed
Ancient wisdom, forever sealed

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