tetraktys

philosophy
Also known as: sacred decad

Learn about this topic in these articles:

Pythagoreanism

  • The tetraktys (see text).
    In Pythagoreanism: General features of Pythagoreanism

    …sometimes mystical, such as the tetraktys, the golden section, and the harmony of the spheres; (5) the Pythagorean theorem; and (6) the demand that members of the order shall observe a strict loyalty and secrecy.

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  • The tetraktys (see text).
    In Pythagoreanism: Music

    …include the elements of the tetraktys, since they have the proportions 1:2 (octave), 3:2 (fifth), and 4:3 (fourth). The discovery could have been made, for instance, in pipes or flutes or stringed instruments: the tone of a plucked string held at its middle is an octave higher than that of…

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