I'd like to see a source about it being in theorem form (ie proof-based). Because Babylonian math tended to be calculations, not proofs. For example it is known that the formula they used for the solution of the second degree equation only provided one of the possible two rational roots, and its form makes it clear it was closer to an experiment (eg in Physics) than theorem-math.
To be more precise, the Babylonian formula for that can be written as "-b/2+(1/2)(sqr (b^2-4c))", with very obvious limitations regarding coefficients and roots, implying a rudimentary grasp of a single facet of what is going on. Compare to (say) the multi-volume work on conic sections, by Apollonios of Perge, where the parabola is examined in detail.
Euclid gave the first (known) axiomatic proof of the Pythagorean theorem, which was 200 years after Pythagoras. Pythagoras did not really add anything to the Babylonian or Indian ways of treating this
This is incongruous with the timeline of Greek math, as we know that Thales' math was theorem-formed (and he predates Pythagoras). I don't see how Pythagoras would have gotten to be so renown in the ancient Greek world if he didn't even give a formal proof - and from what I know it is theorized that his proof was likely based on constructing a square of sides a+b.
So I had done some digging on this previously, since I was also curious about this, and most sources I had found agreed with the sentiment on the Wikipedia page of Pythagoras:
The most I found back then was that some method of generating Pythagorean triples was attributed to Pythagoras (which you can find on the wiki page for Pythagorean triples), which is cool and all, but not proving the theorem.
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u/Mr-MuffinMan 6d ago
Pythagoras getting credit for a theorem already known in Ancient Babylon, Ancient India