SUBJECT: History of Mathematics TOPIC: Early Mathematics in the East

REPORTER: Mirano, Jennifer SUBTOPIC: Indian Mathematics

Marty, Amanda
COURSE AND YEAR: BSE-Math 1 INSTRUCTOR: Ms. Myra Leonor Mon

INDIAN MATHEMATICS
INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION (3,500 BCE)
- have clear evidence of the usage of mathematics

VEDIC AGE (9TH century and 4th century BCE)

- Both Jana (8th century BCE)
- Manova (750 to 650 BCE)
- Pasta (6th century BCE)
- Panini (520 BCE to 460 BCE)
- Pingala (3rd century BCE)
- Jain mathematicians

1. CLASSICAL PERIOD

BRAHMAGUPTA – the first to give rules for computing with zero

- brahmasphutasiddhanta (theoretical treatise)
- khandakhadyaka (practical text)
- He gave an approximate and an exact formula for cyclic
Quadrilaterals.

C.R. RAO – “the living legend” Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao

- theory of estimation
- Cramer – Rao bound
 - Rao – Blackwell Theorem
- Orthogonal Arrays

SHAKUNTALA DEVI – an author and an astrologer

- “human computer”
- Wrote many books on different topics including mathematical
abilities

SRINIVASA RAMANUJAN – Hardy – Ramanujan – Littlewood circle

method in number theory
o Roger – Ramanujan’ s identities in the partition of numbers
o Work on the algebra of inequalities
o Elliptic functions
o Partial sums and products of Hypergeometric series

ARYABHATA – mathematician and astronomer

o His first name “Arya” a term used for respect such as “Sri”
Bhata is a typical north indian name found today usually
among the “Bania” community in Bihar.

 Deduced the approximate value of “pi” which he found it to be 3.14.

 Derived the correct formulas for calculating the areas of triangles and circles.
 Played a very important role in the formation of the table of sines.
 Determining the placed valued system and discovering the zero.
 Also worked on the summation series of square roots and cube roots.
 Also regarded as the first to use zero in the place value system.
 Formed the base of the trigonometry and Algebra.j
 India’s first satellite was named as Aryabhatta.
 P.C. MAHALANOBIS/PRASANDA CHANDRA MAHALANOBIS

– Indian statistician

- He is best remember for the Mahalanobis distance.

CONTRIBUTIONS:

 Devised a statistical principle. The Mahalanobis distance to compare data

sets.
 Planning commission of free India.
 Founded Indian Statistical Institute.
 His methods furthered India’s effort to Industrialized in the 1950’s and 60’s.

SATYENDRA NATH BOSE

- Mathematician and physics specializing in Theoretical Physics.

- Eldest of 7 children.
- Work as a lecturer in the physics Department at the University of
Calcutta.

CONTRIBUTIONS:

 The Planck’s “quantum radiation vaw”

 Without any kind of reference to any classical physics theories in 1924.
 The gaslike qualities of electromagnetic radiation

2. A beautiful comparison between Baudhayana Sulba Sutra (800 BCE) and Euclid’s Elements
(300 BCE). She took the example of the construction of a square. In BSS, it is the the first
construction that is shown. In the Elements, it is the 46th proposition that is shown probably
because certain other things needs to be proved before using those as knowledge and proving
the process of construction of a square. BSS was focused in giving geometric construction
methods for constructing fire altars. The objective was construction of fire altars and not arguing
with reason (we do see that the author knows the reason for certain theorems like Pythagoras
Theorem by some implicit remarks). Another difference is the style of writing the texts. In India,
at that time, the literature was Sutra literature which involved using of least number of letters and
writing in cryptic ways. In Greece it was prose, so there were lesser constraints. Also, the style
of proving wasn’t an axiomatic approach like the Greeks’ which was a cultural difference. For
instance, to draw arcs and straight lines, in India they used a rope. In Greece, they used a
compass and a straight edge. Indians didn’t talk about angles in earlier treatises on
trigonometry. In India, the length of the chord was the function of the arcs and the ratio of the
arc lengths to the circumference was the kind of notion for measurement, which today, we know
is nothing but the angle measurement. In Greece, the notion of angle and trigonometry was
different. Yet, both civilisations pursued the same topics in different ways. The notion of proofs
were different. The purpose of doing Mathematics was different, and much more to think about.