Aryabhata was a mathematician and astronomer from the classical age of Indian mathematics and astronomy. He was born in 476 CE in Taregana, Bihar, India and traveled to Kusumapura (modern Patna) for advanced studies, where he may have headed the university at Nalanda. His major work, Aryabhatiya, is a compendium of mathematics and astronomy covering topics like arithmetic, algebra, plane trigonometry, quadratic equations, and astronomical computations. Some argue Aryabhata introduced the place-value system and concept of zero to Indian mathematics.
2. • Name
While there is a tendency to misspell his name as "Aryabhatta"
by analogy with other names having the "bhatta" suffix, his
name is properly spelled Aryabhata.
• Time and place of birth
Aryabhata mentions in the Aryabhatiya that it was composed
3,600 years into the Kali Yuga, when he was 23 years old. This
corresponds to 499 CE, and implies that he was born in 476.
Aryabhata provides no information about his place of birth. The
only information comes from Bhāskara I, who describes
Aryabhata as āśmakīya, "one belonging to the aśmaka country."
During the Buddha's time, a branch of the Aśmaka people
settled in the region between the Narmada and Godavari rivers
in central India; Aryabhata is believed to have been born there.
3. • Education
It is fairly certain that, at some point, he went to Kusumapura for
advanced studies and lived there for some time. Both Hindu and
Buddhist tradition, as well as Bhāskara I (CE 629), identify
Kusumapura as Pāṭaliputra, modern Patna. A verse mentions that
Aryabhata was the head of an institution (kulapa) at Kusumapura,
and, because the university of Nalanda was in Pataliputra at the
time and had an astronomical observatory, it is speculated that
Aryabhata might have been the head of the Nalanda university as
well. Aryabhata is also reputed to have set up an observatory at the
Sun temple in Taregana, Bihar.
4. • Aryabhata(some time misspelled as ‘aryabhatta’) was one of the first
indian mathematicians and astronomers belonging to the classical
age. He was born in 476BC in tarenaga, a town in bihar,india. It is
however definite that he travelled kusumapara (modern day patna)
for studies and even resided there for some time. It is mentioned in
a few places that aryabhata was the head of the educational institute
in kusumapara. The university of nalanda had an observatory in its
premises so it is hypothesized that aryabhata was the principal of
the university as well. On the other hand some other commentaries
mention that he belonged to kerala.
5. • Aryabhata is the author of several treatises on mathematics and
astronomy, some of which are lost.
• His major work, Aryabhatiya, a compendium of mathematics and
astronomy, was extensively referred to in the Indian mathematical
literature and has survived to modern times. The mathematical part
of the Aryabhatiya covers arithmetic, algebra, plane trigonometry,
and spherical trigonometry. It also contains continued fractions,
quadratic equations, sums-of-power series, and a table of sines.
• The Arya-siddhanta, a lost work on astronomical computations, is
known through the writings of Aryabhata's contemporary,
Varahamihira, and later mathematicians and commentators,
including Brahmagupta and Bhaskara I. This work appears to be
based on the older Surya Siddhanta and uses the midnight-day
reckoning, as opposed to sunrise in Aryabhatiya. It also contained
a description of several astronomical instruments: the gnomon
(shanku-yantra), a shadow instrument (chhaya-yantra), possibly
angle-measuring devices, semicircular and circular (dhanur-yantra /
chakra-yantra), a cylindrical stick yasti-yantra, an umbrella-shaped
device called the chhatra-yantra, and water clocks of at least two
types, bow-shaped and cylindrical
6. • It is known that Aryabhatta has authored at least three astronomical
books, in addition he also wrote some free stanzas. Among them
“Aryabhatiya” is the only text that has survived to this day, whereas
unfortunately his other works have been extinct. It is a small treatise
written is 118 verses, which summarizes the Hindu mathematics of
that time. This great mathematical masterpiece of the past starts
with 10 verse introduction, which is then followed by mathematical
section which is written in 33 verses that gives out 66 mathematical
rules, but there is no proof to go with it. The mathematical part of the
Aryabhatiya is about algebra, arithmetic, plane trigonometry and
spherical trigonometry in addition to advanced mathematics on
continued fractions, quadratic equations, sums of power series and
a table of sines.
• There is some argument over the claim of Aryabhatta being the
inventor of place value system that made use of zero. Georges Ifrah,
in his work ‘Universal history of numbers: From prehistory to the
invention of the computer (London, 1998)’ writes in work, “..it is
extremely likely that Aryabhatta knew the sign for zero and the
numerals of the place value system”. Georges Ifrah has studied the
works of Aryabhatta and found that the counting and mathematical
work carried out by him would have been not possible without zero
or place value system.
8. • INTEGER SOLUTION- By =ax+c, and by =ax-c where a,b,c are
integer. He used kuttuka method to solve the problems.
• Indeterminate equation- ax+by+c=0
• Identities- (a+b) = a+b+2ab.
•
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