INDIAN

MATHEMATICS
 Table of Contents
1 Introduction to Indian Mathematics 6 The Groundbreaking Invention of
Zero (7th Century CE)

2 Early Vedic Mathematics (Before 7 Brahmagupta's Groundbreaking

1000 BCE) Insights

3 Sulba Sutras: A Testament to The Golden Age of Indian Mathematics

8
Geometry (8th Century BCE) (5th to 12th Century CE)

Infinite Concepts in Jain and Aryabhata's Achievements (6th Century

4 9
Buddhist Mathematics CE)

The Birth of the Decimal System 10 Bhaskara II's Innovations (12th Century
5 10
(Before 3rd Century CE) CE)
Table of Contents

Kerala School of Mathematics (14th

11 Century CE)

10
Introduction to Indian Mathematics
Despite developing quite independently of Chinese (and probably also of Babylonian mathematics),
some very advanced mathematical discoveries were made at a very early time in India.

1. India's mathematical journey is rich and profound, emerging independently and distinctly, paving the
way for monumental discoveries.
2. Its development flourished alongside ancient Chinese and Babylonian mathematics, creating unique
methods.
3. Indian mathematicians pushed boundaries in arithmetic and geometry, laying a solid foundation for
future explorations.
4. Innovations such as the decimal system and the concept of zero not only transformed Indian
mathematics but also influenced global arithmetic.
5. This presentation will explore the fascinating milestones of Indian mathematics from its inception to its
golden age.
10
Early Vedic Mathematics (Before 1000 BCE)

Mantras from the early Vedic period invoke powers of ten

and arithmetic operations. Buddha enumerated numbers
up to 10^53 and described six more numbering systems,
leading to a number equivalent to 10^421. This is as close
to infinity as any in ancient times, and the size of an atom is
remarkably close to a carbon atom.
Sulba Sutras: A Testament to Geometry (8th Century BCE)

The "Sulba Sutras" , a text that likely inspired Pythagoras (long

before Pythagoras), listed simple Pythagorean triples,
simplified Pythagorean theorems, and geometric solutions of
linear and quadratic equations. It also provided an accurate
figure for the square root of 2, with a value of 1.4142156.
Infinite Concepts in Jain and Buddhist Mathematics

Jain mathematicians identified five different infinities: infinite in

one direction (1), in two directions (2), in area (3), infinite
everywhere (4) and perpetually infinite (5).
In the 3rd or 2nd Century BCE, and ancient Buddhist literature
acknowledged indeterminate and infinite numbers, with
countable, uncountable, and infinite types.
The Birth of the Decimal System (Before 3rd Century CE)

The Indians early discovered the benefits of a decimal place value

number system, and were certainly using it before about the
3rd Century CE. They refined and perfected the system,
particularly the written representation of the numerals, creating the
ancestors of the nine numerals. Disseminated by medieval Arabic
mathematicians, it's considered one of greatest intellectual
innovations.
The Groundbreaking Invention of Zero (7th Century CE)

The Indians played a significant role in the

development of mathematics, with the
earliest recorded usage of a circle
character for zero attributed to a 9th-
century engraving. The conceptual leap
to include zero as a number in its own
right, credited to 7th-century Indian
mathematicians Brahmagupta or
Bhaskara I, revolutionized mathematics.
The Groundbreaking Invention of Zero (7th Century CE)

But the brilliant conceptual leap to include zero as a number in its

own right (rather than merely as a placeholder, a blank or empty
space within a number, as it had been treated until that time).

The use of zero as a number which could be used in calculations

and mathematical investigations, would revolutionize mathematics.
Brahmagupta's Groundbreaking Insights

He established the basic mathematical rules for dealing with zero:

1 + 0 = 1; 1 – 0 = 1; and 1 x 0 = 0 (the breakthrough which would
make sense of the apparently non-sensical operation 1 ÷ 0 would
also fall to an Indian, the 12th Century mathematician Bhaskara II).
Brahmagupta introduced rules for negative numbers and quadratic
equations with two possible solutions. He used color initials to
represent unknowns, marking the beginning of algebraic concepts.
Indian astronomers used trigonometry tables(Golden Age of Indian Mathematics)

Golden Age Indian mathematicians made

fundamental advances in the theory of
trigonometry, a method of linking geometry and
numbers first developed by the Greeks. Indian
astronomers used trigonometry to calculate
distances between Earth, Moon, and Sun,
forming a right-angled triangle. They also
discovered the sine function of any given angle,
with the "Surya Siddhanta" text containing the
roots of modern trigonometry, including the first
real use of sines, cosines, inverse sines, tangents,
and secants.
Indian astronomers used trigonometry tables(Golden Age of Indian Mathematics)

They used ideas like the sine, cosine and tangent functions (which relate the angles of a
triangle to the relative lengths of its sides) to survey the land around them, navigate the
seas and even chart the heavens.

They realized that, when the Moon is half full and directly opposite the Sun, then the Sun,
Moon and Earth form a right angled triangle, and were able to accurately measure the
angle as 1⁄7°. Their sine tables gave a ratio for the sides of such a triangle as 400:1,
indicating that the Sun is 400 times further away from the Earth than the Moon.
Aryabhata's Achievements (6th Century CE)
The great Indian mathematician and
astronomer Aryabhata produced
categorical definitions of sine, cosine,
versine and inverse sine, and specified
complete sine and versine tables, in
3.75° intervals from 0° to 90°, to an
accuracy of 4 decimal places.
Aryabhata's Achievements (6th Century CE)
Aryabhata also demonstrated solutions to simultaneous quadratic
equations, and produced an approximation for the value of π equivalent
to 3.1416, correct to four decimal places.
He used this to estimate the circumference of the Earth, arriving at a
figure of 24,835 miles, only 70 miles off its true value.
He seems to have been aware that π is an irrational number, and
that any calculation can only ever be an approximation, something not
proved in Europe until 1761.
Bhaskara II's Innovations (12th Century CE)

Bhaskara II, a 12th-century Indian

mathematician, introduced
division by zero, symbolizing
infinity. He made significant
contributions to mathematical fields,
including solutions to equations,
Diophantine equations, and
trigonometry.
Bhaskara II's Innovations (12th Century CE)

He noticed that dividing one into two pieces yields a

half, so
1 ÷ 1⁄2 = 2. Similarly, 1 ÷ 1⁄3 = 3.
So, dividing 1 by smaller and smaller factions yields
a larger and larger number of pieces. Ultimately,
therefore, dividing one into pieces of zero size would
yield infinitely many pieces, indicating that 1 ÷ 0 = ∞
(the symbol for infinity).
Kerala School of Mathematics (14th Century CE)

Madhava of Sangamagrama, a medieval Indian mathematician-astronomer, founded the

Kerala School of Astronomy and Mathematics in the late 14th century. He developed
infinite series approximations for trigonometric functions, contributed to geometry,
algebra, and calculus.