In article ,
mm wrote:
Absolutely. It was also known to and proven by American Indians (long
before it was called America). There was a great chief Anohamey
among the Chippewa who had three daughters, all of whome were married.

It was their custom to sit at night around the campfire, and always
Running Lilly would sit with her one boy on a deer skin, Twinkling
Star woulld sit with her two boys on a buffalo skin, and Laughing
Rabbit would sit with her 3 young bucks on a hippotamus skin.

From this they knew that the sons of the squaw on the hippotamus are
equal to the sons of the squaws on the other two hides.

It's funnier if it actually matches the Pythagorean Theorem. You want
the squaw on the hippotamus (not sure what that is...some
hippopotamus-like animal once found in the Americas?) to equal the sons
of the squaws on the other two hides, not the sons of her to equal them.

The way it is usually told is to have the squaw on the hippo hide weigh
as much as the combined weights of the sons of the squaws, thus making
the squaw on the hippo hide equal to the sons of the squaws on the other
two hides.

--
--Tim Smith