The Pythagorean Cup

The Pythagorean Cup Will Keep You From Drinking Too Much
 

Pythagoras lived between 570 and 495 BCE, and while there’s no accurate date on when the cup was created, it’s likely it first appeared sometime in the mid-6th Century BCE.

According to one legend, Pythagoras created the cup to punish his peers who greedily over-filled their cups of wine. For this reason, the cup is often also referred to as a “Greedy Cup“.

Other theories say that Pythagoras created the cup to remind people to drink in moderation. If the liquid in the cup sits below a certain level, you can drink quite comfortably from it.

But if you pour above that level, it will all drain out. Whether it was intended to punish the greedy, or to serve as a reminder of drinking sensibly, it certainly made an impact.

The basic design of the Pythagorean Cup inspired jokers all around the world, and it remains a popular practical joke.

The cup is based on a genius design, and still tricks people to this very day.

If the liquid in the cup sits below a certain level, you can drink quite comfortably from it. But if you pour above that level, it will all drain out (Pascal’s Law of Communicating Vessels)

Whether it was intended to punish the greedy, or to serve as a reminder of drinking sensibly, it certainly made an impact.