Thymaridas

Thymaridas of Paros (c. 400 – c. 350 BCE) was an ancient Greek mathematician and Pythagorean. Although little is known about his life, he is believed to have been a wealthy man who experienced financial hardship. He is noted for his contributions to number theory and algebra. Thymaridas referred to prime numbers as "rectilinear" because they can only be represented on a single line, unlike composite numbers which can form rectangles. He also called the number one a "limiting quantity". His most notable contribution is a rule for solving a specific type of simultaneous linear equations, known as the "bloom of Thymaridas" or "flower of Thymaridas". This rule, described by Iamblichus, provided a method for finding a particular quantity in a system of equations. Iamblichus also indicated that other systems of equations could be transformed into this form, thus extending the applicability of Thymaridas' rule.