Mathematician:Hippasus of Metapontum

Mathematician

Philosopher of the Pythagorean school.

Credited with the construction of the dodecahedron within the sphere.

Also sometimes credited with the discovery of irrational numbers.

Supposed to have drowned at sea, as a punishment for having revealed the existence of either irrational numbers, or the construction of the dodecahedron.

Supposedly founded the branch of the Pythagorean school known as the Mathematici.

Nationality

Greek

History

• Born: c. 5th century BCE, Metapontum in Magna Graecia (now Italy), or possibly Croton or Sybaris.
• Died: c. 5th century BCE

Possible attributions

• Construction of Regular Dodecahedron within Given Sphere
• Irrational Numbers

Also known as

In Greek: Ἵππασος.

Sources

• 1993: Richard J. Trudeau: Introduction to Graph Theory ... (previous) ... (next): $2$. Graphs: Paradox
• 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Hippasus of Metapontum (c. 470 bc)
• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Hippasus of Metapontum (c. 470 bc)
• 2008: Ian Stewart: Taming the Infinite ... (previous) ... (next): Chapter $2$: The Logic of Shape: Pythagoras