Fw: [t'venkatam] Vedic maths from iish.org

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Dear BhakthAs:

 

The work of the Thiruvananthapuram based

Indian Science Heritage Institute is important

for all of us having pride in the Vedic as well as

Scientific heritages( www.iish.org)

 

I am pleased to forward a posting in Thiruvenkatam list

in this context .

 

Oppiliappan Koil V.SaThakOpan

 

-

"jasn sn" <jayasartn

<tiruvenkatam>

Friday, July 30, 2004 11:37 PM

[t'venkatam] Vedic maths from iish.org

 

 

> INDIAN HERITAGE IN MATHEMATICS

>

>

> Ancient Indian Number System

>

>

> Use of numbers for presenting data on length,

> breadth and area of the Yajna saala (sacrificial/

> ritual hall) can be seen in all the four important

> Sulbasutras ( namely, Boudhayana, Apastamba, Katyayana

> and Manava Sulbasutras). Some of these books

> chronologically belong to the same period as those of

> Yajur Vedic texts.

>

>

>

> Opinion put forth by Professor Neugebauer on the

> mathematical content in these texts attracts great

> attention of the subject experts. "From the time of

> Samhitas, the Vedic Indians used the decimal scale

> without the use of symbols. the expressions of

> numbers of the scale. Eka, dasa,....... upto 18 th

> power of 10 were given in Sulbasutras.... ... The

> successive placing of dasa, sata, sahasra, etc. is

> obvious proof for the decimal places....." says

> Neugebauer, in his celebrated book "The Exact

> Sciences in Antiquity"(PP 10, 13-14). In the comment

> without the use of symbols Neugebauer might have

> meant only that in the text the numbers are not given

> in symbols. It cannot be taken as an observation on

> the non-existence of symbols for writing numbers.

> Because in Rig Veda, it is mentioned give thousand

> cows whose ears are marked with the number eight (

> ashtakarnya). Marking a number eight shows

> knowledge in symbols for number system.

>

>

>

> It is important to note here that when Greeks were

> using only up to a maximum value Myriad (10000) and

> Romans , Millie (1000), Indians could go upto 18th

> power of 10 in the mathematical number values during

> the Vedic period itself. Dr. Hopkins gives a better

> picture of the Greek mathematicians of the 1st

> millennia BC. He says, "before the 6th century BC,

> all these religious and philosophical ideas of

> Pythagorus were current in India". The well known

> philosopher of ancient Greek, Appolonius has mentioned

> that Pythagorus went to India and was taught by

> Brahmins, on the geometrical rules. Not much is known

> about the European knowledge of mathematics after

> Pythagorus and Euclid, for nearly a thousand years.

>

>

>

> It has been told that Leonardo Fibonancii of Pisa

> spread Hindu numerals in Europe. By 1228 AD, he

> wrote a book focussing on Indian mathematics namely

> Liber abaci. Historians say that Liber abaci is the

> stepping stone for the West to the modern mathematics.

> Evidences are many for this inference. The numerical

> words penta (pancha), hexa (shasta), septa (sapta),

> octa (ashta), nona (nava), deca (desa)... penta deca

> (pancha dasa),.. octa deca (ashta dasa).... etc. are

> still used in the Western number systems by the

> Europeans and the English which are given in Rig

> Veda.

>

>

>

> Albiruni's book written in 1030 AD namely Tarik al

> Hind (Chronicles of India) says that the numeral

> signs which we (the people of the West) use are

> derived from the finest forms of the Hindu signs . A

> glimpse on the development of mathematics in the

> second half of the first millennia AD in India will

> definitely give an insight on the real Indian

> contributions prior to Leonardo Fibonancii.

>

> To be continued.

>

>

> Please send this document to everyone you know.

> Remember, it is your, mine and our duty, privilege and

> responsibility to learn, teach and spread our

> Heritage.

>

>

>

> Compiled by

> Indian Institute of Scientific Heritage

> Ushus, Estate Road, Pappanamcode, Thiruvananthapuram,

> 695 018, Kerala,India.

>

> Ph. 0471-490149, www.iish.org