I used to tell that to my junior high math students when we introduce the Pythagorean Theorem.

BTW. The answer is James A Garfield. While a member of Congress and about 3 years before becoming President, Mr. Garfield developed an independent and quite clever proof of the Pythagorean theorem. You can find an outline of his proof here.

http://jwilson.coe.uga.edu/emt668/emt668.student.folders/headangela/essay1/pythagorean.html

(Scroll down for Garfield's Proof.)


Joel A. Brondos wrote:
<< What U.S. president published a unique proof of the Pythagorean theorem while a member of Congress? >>

I think I used to know that.

While I'm waiting for the answer, I'll share a little story with you, trying to be as politically correct as I can.

There was once a noble chief of a Midwestern Native American clan whose wife bore him a healthy son. He was very proud of her and decided to commemorate that event by single-handedly hunting down a Grizzly bear and presenting her with its hide.

His second wife, soon afterward, bore him TWIN sons. In order to honor her, the chief traveled many miles and bagged a crocodile and presented her with the crocodile hide in a great ceremony before the tribe.

Lo and behold, his third wife bore him TRIPLET sons. He knew that he had to do something exceedingly and commensurately special. So, for many moons he traveled, and finally bagged a hippopotamus, presenting her with that very rare and special hide with a spectacular celebration.

And all of this just to show that "the squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the squaws of the other two hides."

It might not be possible to have a good weekend after that, but I hope you do anyway.

Joel Brondos
Brookfield, IL
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