The findings made by an Alappuzha native in geometry have opened the route to solve calculations the fast and easy way compared to that of Pythagoras. The Association of Mathematics Teachers of India, Chennai, and Kerala Mathematics Association have accepted the findings of Rahamuthulla and published them in their journals.
The Pythogorean theorem named after Pythagoras, the Greek Mathematician, who is credited with its proof, states that the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides.
The new theorem formulated by Rahamuthulla has been used to find the hypotenuse in an easy way. In the Pythagorean theorem, the altitude of the triangle is considered as ‘x’ and the base as ‘y’ and the hypotenuse ‘z’. For finding the hypotenuse, the squares of base and altitude should be added and then its square root taken. That is z2= x2+y2.
In the Pythagoras theorem, there are some difficulties in finding the square root. According to Rahamuthulla’s formula, the need of square root to calculate the hypotenuse does not arise. That is z= a+b/ [2a+(b/2a], a=y+k, b=m-k2, where ‘k’ is the quotient when x2 is divided by 2y and ‘m’ is its reminder. When x2 is less than 2y, ‘k’ can be taken as a decimal number. The answer comes equal with three or four decimal places with the classical formula, says Rahamuthulla.
A magazine published by the Association of Mathematics Teachers of India has approved of the theorem and published the findings as a new theorem. Kerala Mathematics Association has also published the theorem with proofs. According to M S Samuel, executive editor of the Kerala Mathematical Association bulletin, the association members experimented with the theorem and agree that it is much easier to find the hypotenuse.
Rahamuthulla is a senior assistant at the KSEB Alappuzha Electrical Division Office. He is a physics graduate. He said that he had started work on finding out the formula in 1986 and what started as an ordinary cruise ended in an voyage of discovery. If anyone has queries pertaining to Rahamuthulla’s formula, he can be reached at 9496232044.