几何的诱惑The lure of geometry

35° The lure of geometry. It has been told that Pythagoras, in an effort to secure some students, found an impecunious young artisan and offered to teach him geometry. To make the lessons worth the poor pupil's time, the master agreed to pay him a penny for each geometrical theorem he mastered. This suited the young man well, for he found that by listening attentively he could earn better wages in an hour than in a full day at his usual labor. As his pile of pennies grew, the pupil discovered that in spite of himself he was becoming more interested in his studies than in his increasing wealth. Indeed, so avid did his interest in geometry become and so thoroughly did he fall under the subject's spell, that he begged his teacher to proceed faster, and as an inducement insisted that Pythagoras now accept from him a penny for each new theorem. By the time the pupil absorbed all the geometry he could hold, the gratified teacher had gained back all of his pennies.