The ancient Egyptians used ropes with evenly spaced knots to help measure right triangles and establish property boundaries. Scribes and their assistants would hold the ropes at specific knots to form a right triangle, demonstrating their understanding of the Pythagorean theorem. While the Egyptians did not name the theorem as such, there is evidence they knew and utilized the relationship between the sides of a right triangle, potentially informing Pythagoras' later work developing this mathematical concept.

1. The Egyptian “Rope Stretchers”
Serra, M. (1997). Discovering geometry an inductive approach, (pp. 475-522).
Emeryville, CA.: Key Curriculum Press.

2. According to
ancient legend . . .
Pictures found in Egyptian
tombs show scribes and their
assistants carrying ropes tied
with equally-spaced knots.
Speculate that theropes were
used to create right triangles.
Established boundaries after
the yearly flooding of the Nile.
Helped build the pyramids.

3. How it worked . . .
13 equally-spaced knots
would divide the rope into
twelve equal lengths.
One scribe held the two
ends of the rope together
(knots 1 and 13).
Creates a right triangle with
Two helpers held the rope
the right angle at knot 4.
at knots 4 and 8 and
stretched it tight.

4. What this means
historically …
There is no doubt that
the Egyptian
mathematicians knew
the theorem of
Pythagoras (though they
did not call it that.)
Pythagoras himself is
believed to have studied
in Egypt, and he may
have learned the
theorem there.