Oldest example of applied geometry discovered on 3,700-year-old clay tablet

The oldest example of applied geometry has been discovered on a 3,700-year-old clay tablet.

Known as Si.427, the tablet - which was discovered in the late 19th Century in central Iraq - uses maths attributed to Pythagoras 1,000 years before he was born.

The significance was unknown until an Australian mathematician conducted some detective work and now, the tablet is thought to be the oldest known example of applied geometry.

“The discovery and analysis of the tablet have important implications for the history of mathematics,” Lead researcher Dr Daniel Mansfield said of Si.427.