Class 8 Maths Part 2 Chapter 2, The Baudhāyana-Pythagoras Theorem, starts with Verse 1.9 of Baudhāyana’s Śulba-Sūtra (c. 800 BCE)—how the diagonal of a square produces a square of double the area—and develops the right-triangle theorem, √2, Baudhāyana triples and applications.
What Class 8 Maths Chapter 2 Covers
2.1 Doubling a Square, 2.2 Halving a Square, and 2.3 Isosceles Right Triangle use geometric dissection to show why a square on the diagonal has twice the area, introducing √2 and its decimal approximation.
2.4 Combining Two Different Squares proves Baudhāyana’s general theorem (a² + b² = c²) by dissecting and rearranging squares on the two perpendicular sides of a right triangle.
2.5 Integer Right Triangles, 2.6 Fermat’s Last Theorem, and 2.7 Applications generate Baudhāyana (Pythagorean) triples like (3, 4, 5) and (5, 12, 13), mention Fermat’s Last Theorem, and solve classic problems from Bhāskarāchārya’s Līlāvatī.
Exercises in Chapter 2
- Figure it Out exercise sets throughout the chapter with real-world applications and puzzles.
Read Class 8 Maths Chapter 2 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 1: Fractions in Disguise
- Next: Chapter 3: Proportional Reasoning–2
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FAQ
What is the Baudhāyana-Pythagoras Theorem?
In a right-angled triangle with legs a and b and hypotenuse c, the sum of the areas of the squares on the legs equals the area of the square on the hypotenuse: a² + b² = c².
Where was the theorem first stated in India?
In Baudhāyana’s Śulba-Sūtra (around 800 BCE), which states both the special case for doubling a square and the general rectangle diagonal rule.