Peter Alfeld, --- Department of Mathematics, --- College of Science --- University of Utah

Pythagorean Triples


A Pythagorean Triple is a triple of natural numbers (a,b,c) such that

c2 = a2 + b2.

It's easy to see that if x > y > 0 are natural numbers then

a = x2 - y2,    b = 2xy,    c = x2 + y2,
form a Pythagorean Triple. As an exercise you may want of ponder whether all Pythagorean triples can be written in this form, and if not, which can.

A Pythagorean Triple is primitive if the greatest common factor of a,b,c is 1. For example, (3,4,5) is primitive and (6,8,10) is not. Following is a list of all primitive Pythagorean triples where a, b, c are all less than 1000.

(3,4,5), (5,12,13), (7,24,25), (8,15,17), (9,40,41), (11,60,61), (12,35,37), (13,84,85), (15,112,113), (16,63,65), (17,144,145), (19,180,181), (20,21,29), (20,99,101), (21,220,221), (23,264,265), (24,143,145), (25,312,313), (27,364,365), (28,45,53), (28,195,197), (29,420,421), (31,480,481), (32,255,257), (33,56,65), (33,544,545), (35,612,613), (36,77,85), (36,323,325), (37,684,685), (39,80,89), (39,760,761), (40,399,401), (41,840,841), (43,924,925), (44,117,125), (44,483,485), (48,55,73), (48,575,577), (51,140,149), (52,165,173), (52,675,677), (56,783,785), (57,176,185), (60,91,109), (60,221,229), (60,899,901), (65,72,97), (68,285,293), (69,260,269), (75,308,317), (76,357,365), (84,187,205), (84,437,445), (85,132,157), (87,416,425), (88,105,137), (92,525,533), (93,476,485), (95,168,193), (96,247,265), (100,621,629), (104,153,185), (105,208,233), (105,608,617), (108,725,733), (111,680,689), (115,252,277), (116,837,845), (119,120,169), (120,209,241), (120,391,409), (123,836,845), (124,957,965), (129,920,929), (132,475,493), (133,156,205), (135,352,377), (136,273,305), (140,171,221), (145,408,433), (152,345,377), (155,468,493), (156,667,685), (160,231,281), (161,240,289), (165,532,557), (168,425,457), (168,775,793), (175,288,337), (180,299,349), (184,513,545), (185,672,697), (189,340,389), (195,748,773), (200,609,641), (203,396,445), (204,253,325), (205,828,853), (207,224,305), (215,912,937), (216,713,745), (217,456,505), (220,459,509), (225,272,353), (228,325,397), (231,520,569), (232,825,857), (240,551,601), (248,945,977), (252,275,373), (259,660,709), (260,651,701), (261,380,461), (273,736,785), (276,493,565), (279,440,521), (280,351,449), (280,759,809), (287,816,865), (297,304,425), (300,589,661), (301,900,949), (308,435,533), (315,572,653), (319,360,481), (333,644,725), (336,377,505), (336,527,625), (341,420,541), (348,805,877), (364,627,725), (368,465,593), (369,800,881), (372,925,997), (385,552,673), (387,884,965), (396,403,565), (400,561,689), (407,624,745), (420,851,949), (429,460,629), (429,700,821), (432,665,793), (451,780,901), (455,528,697), (464,777,905), (468,595,757), (473,864,985), (481,600,769), (504,703,865), (533,756,925), (540,629,829), (555,572,797), (580,741,941), (615,728,953), (616,663,905), (696,697,985).

Click here for the list of all Pythagorean triples containing no members greater than 10,000.


[15-May-2003]

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