Sunday, January 11, 2015

vedic mathematics

A must read for the champions of the trick calculation called Vedic Mathematics, a term unknown in ancient India. Certainly there were lots of mathematicians in India but one should not forget that from the time of Mohenjo Daro/ harappa period India has always been part of trade routes that survive on navigation (mapping,astronomy and astrology) and numbers. It is for any common mind's basic understanding that in such scenario knowledge exchange would have certainly taken place and enriched human wisdom in India and abroad. This new found pseudo concoction of patriotic hallucination and chest thumping on exaggerated achievements is hilarious like the redundant Eurocentric world view.
Certainly Dr. Harshvardhan's claim on Pythagoras theorem has merits as umpteen number of evidences available in the works of Indian mathematicians to that effect, says the learned. Who discovered it first or later may be questionable but Indian Mathematicians had the knowledge of it.
Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, Mahāvīra (mathematician), Bhaskara II, Madhava of Sangamagrama and Nilakantha Somayaji are few who had made immense contribution to lay foundation for infinite series, zero, trigonometry, calculus, negative numbers, arithmetic,geometry and spherical geometry etc. from 1200 bce. Mahavira to Nilaknatha but lived between 9 to 16th century AD. (fortunately I am lucky to have an hand written copy of Neelkantha somayji's text from my great grand father (my mother's grandfather), who was an astrologer and ayurvedic vaid with good collection of books on varied subjects)
Interestingly this parochial arguments of chest thumping makes it laughable once we learn about the fight among north Indians and South Indians to claim the legacy of Aryabhata's place of birth, even as many don't know what is Aryabhata's contribution to maths


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