MATHS PROJECT REPORT
ARYABHATA ACHIEVEMENTS
Contents
1. Introduction..............................................................................................1
2. Biography.................................................................................................1
3. Works......................................................................................................1
4. Contributions to Mathematics.......................................................................1
5. Contributions to Astronomy..........................................................................1
6. Legacy and Influence...................................................................................1
7. Conclusion................................................................................................1
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Acknowledgment
I feel proud to present my investigatory project in Maths on the
“Aryabhata Achievements”
This project would not have been feasible without the proper rigorous
guidance of chemistry teacher Mr Ranagappa who guided me
throughout this project in every possible way.
Rigorous hard work has put in this project to ensure that it proves
to be the best. I hope that it proves to be the best. I hope that this project
will prove to be a breeding ground for the next generation of
students and will guide them in every possible way.
I am also thankful to my family and friends for their
encouragement. Finally, I appreciate the school administration
for providing the necessary resources to complete this study.
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[Link]
Aryabhata, an ancient Indian mathematician and astronomer, is one of the most celebrated
figures in Indian history. Born in 476 CE in Kusumapura (modern-day Patna, Bihar),
Aryabhata’s contributions to mathematics and astronomy have significantly influenced both
ancient and modern scientific thought. His seminal work, the Aryabhatiya, remains a
cornerstone of Indian scientific heritage and a testament to his intellectual prowess.
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2. Biography
Name While often misspelled as "Aryabhatta," the correct spelling is "Aryabhata."
Astronomical texts, including Brahmagupta's references, consistently spell his name this way.
The name "Aryabhatta" does not fit the metrical requirements of ancient Sanskrit verses.
Time and Place of Birth Aryabhata mentioned in the Aryabhatiya that he was 23 years old
3,600 years into the Kali Yuga, corresponding to 499 CE. This implies his birth year as 476 CE.
Aryabhata identified himself as a native of Kusumapura, also known as Pataliputra (modern-
day Patna, Bihar).
Alternative Hypotheses Some scholars suggest Aryabhata may have been associated with
the Ashmaka region, located between the Narmada and Godavari rivers. Others propose
Kerala as his place of origin based on later commentaries and astronomical evidence, though
this theory remains inconclusive.
Education Aryabhata likely pursued advanced studies in Kusumapura, a prominent center of
learning. He is thought to have been associated with the Nalanda University and reputedly
headed an institution there. He also established an observatory at Taregana, Bihar.
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[Link]
Aryabhata authored several treatises on mathematics and astronomy, though only
the Aryabhatiya has survived. His works encompassed subjects such as arithmetic, algebra,
trigonometry, and celestial mechanics. Another notable but lost work, the Arya-siddhanta, is
known through later commentaries.
Key Features of the Aryabhatiya:
1. Gitikapada: Discusses time measurement and the calendar system.
2. Ganitapada: Covers arithmetic, algebra, and trigonometry.
3. Kalakriyapada: Explores astronomy and time reckoning.
4. Golapada: Delves into celestial spheres and astronomical calculations.
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[Link] to Mathematics
1. Decimal System: Aryabhata’s use of the decimal system laid the foundation for
modern arithmetic.
2. Trigonometry: He introduced trigonometric functions like sine (“jya”) and cosine,
advancing the field of trigonometry.
3. Pi Approximation: Aryabhata provided an accurate value for π (3.1416) and
suggested its irrationality.
4. Quadratic Equations: He devised methods to solve quadratic equations
systematically.
5. Algebra: His work showcased innovative techniques in algebra, including summation
of series and solutions to indeterminate equations.
Place value system and zero
The place-value system, first seen in the 3rd-century Bakhshali Manuscript, was clearly in
place in his work. While he did not use a symbol for zero, the French mathematician Georges
Ifrah argues that knowledge of zero was implicit in Aryabhata's place-value system as a
place holder for the powers of ten with null coefficients.
However, Aryabhata did not use the Brahmi numerals. Continuing the Sanskritic tradition
from Vedic times, he used letters of the alphabet to denote numbers, expressing quantities,
such as the table of sines in a mnemonic form.
Approximation of π
Aryabhata worked on the approximation for pi (π) and may have conclude that π is
irrational. In the second part of the Aryabhatiyam (gaṇitapāda 10).
It is speculated that Aryabhata used the word āsanna (approaching), to mean that not only
is this an approximation but that the value is incommensurable (or irrational). If this is
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correct, it is quite a sophisticated insight, because the irrationality of pi (π) was proved in
Europe only in 1761 by Lambert.
After Aryabhatiya was translated into Arabic (c. 820 CE), this approximation was mentioned
in Al-Khwarizmi's book on algebra.
Trigonometry
In Ganitapada 6, Aryabhata gives the area of a triangle as
tribhujasya phalaśarīraṃ samadalakoṭī bhujārdhasaṃvargaḥ
that translates to: "for a triangle, the result of a perpendicular with the half-side is the area."
Aryabhata discussed the concept of sine in his work by the name of ardha-jya, which literally
means "half-chord". For simplicity, people started calling it jya. When Arabic writers
translated his works from Sanskrit into Arabic, they referred it as jiba. However, in Arabic
writings, vowels are omitted, and it was abbreviated as jb. Later writers substituted it with
jaib, meaning "pocket" or "fold (in a garment)". (In Arabic, jiba is a meaningless word.) Later
in the 12th century, when Gherardo of Cremona translated these writings from Arabic into
Latin, he replaced the Arabic jaib with its Latin counterpart, sinus, which means "cove" or
"bay"; thence comes the English word sine.
Indeterminate equations
A problem of great interest to Indian mathematicians since ancient times has been to find
integer solutions to Diophantine equations that have the form ax + by = c. (This problem was
also studied in ancient Chinese mathematics, and its solution is usually referred to as the
Chinese remainder theorem.) This is an example from Bhāskara's commentary on
Aryabhatiya:
Find the number which gives 5 as the remainder when divided by 8, 4 as the remainder when
divided by 9, and 1 as the remainder when divided by 7
That is, find N = 8x+5 = 9y+4 = 7z+1. It turns out that the smallest value for N is 85. In
general, diophantine equations, such as this, can be notoriously difficult. They were
discussed extensively in ancient Vedic text Sulba Sutras, whose more ancient parts might
date to 800 BCE. Aryabhata's method of solving such problems, elaborated by Bhaskara in
621 CE, is called the kuṭṭaka (कुट्टक) method. Kuṭṭaka means "pulverizing" or "breaking
into small pieces", and the method involves a recursive algorithm for writing the original
factors in smaller numbers. This algorithm became the standard method for solving first-
order diophantine equations in Indian mathematics, and initially the whole subject of
algebra was called kuṭṭaka-gaṇita or simply kuṭṭaka.
Algebra
In Aryabhatiya, Aryabhata provided elegant results for the summation of series of squares
and cubes:
"Add four to 100, multiply by eight, and then add 62,000. By this rule the circumference of a
circle with a diameter of 20,000 can be approached."
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This implies that for a circle whose diameter is 20000, the circumference will be 62832
[Link] to Astronomy
1. Heliocentric Model: Aryabhata suggested the Earth rotates on its axis, a
revolutionary idea predating Copernicus.
2. Eclipse Theory: He scientifically explained solar and lunar eclipses, attributing them to
celestial shadows.
3. Sidereal Year: Aryabhata calculated the sidereal year as 365.258 days, remarkably
accurate for his time.
4. Planetary Motion: He described elliptical planetary orbits and their relative positions.
Motions of the Solar System
Aryabhata correctly insisted that the Earth rotates about its axis daily, and that the apparent
movement of the stars is a relative motion caused by the rotation of the Earth, contrary to
the then-prevailing view, that the sky rotated. This is indicated in the first chapter of the
Aryabhatiya, where he gives the number of rotations of the Earth in a yuga,[30] and made
more explicit in his gola chapter:
In the same way that someone in a boat going forward sees an unmoving [object] going
backward, so [someone] on the equator sees the unmoving stars going uniformly westward.
The cause of rising and setting [is that] the sphere of the stars together with the planets
[apparently?] turns due west at the equator, constantly pushed by the cosmic wind.
Aryabhata described a geocentric model of the Solar System, in which the Sun and Moon are
each carried by epicycles. They in turn revolve around the Earth. In this model, which is also
found in the Paitāmahasiddhānta (c. 425 CE), the motions of the planets are each governed
by two epicycles, a smaller manda (slow) and a larger śīghra (fast).The order of the planets
in terms of distance from earth is taken as: the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars,
Jupiter, Saturn, and the asterisms.
The positions and periods of the planets was calculated relative to uniformly moving points.
In the case of Mercury and Venus, they move around the Earth at the same mean speed as
the Sun. In the case of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, they move around the Earth at specific
speeds, representing each planet's motion through the zodiac. Most historians of astronomy
consider that this two-epicycle model reflects elements of pre-Ptolemaic Greek astronomy.
Another element in Aryabhata's model, the śīghrocca, the basic planetary period in relation
to the Sun, is seen by some historians as a sign of an underlying heliocentric mode.
Eclipses
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Solar and lunar eclipses were scientifically explained by Aryabhata. He states that the Moon
and planets shine by reflected sunlight. Instead of the prevailing cosmogony in which
eclipses were caused by Rahu and Ketu (identified as the pseudo-planetary lunar nodes), he
explains eclipses in terms of shadows cast by and falling on Earth. Thus, the lunar eclipse
occurs when the Moon enters the Earth's shadow. He discusses at length the size and extent
of the Earth's shadow and then provides the computation and the size of the eclipsed part
during an eclipse. Later Indian astronomers improved on the calculations, but Aryabhata's
methods provided the core. His computational paradigm was so accurate that 18th-century
scientist Guillaume Le Gentil, during a visit to Pondicherry, India, found the Indian
computations of the duration of the lunar eclipse of 30 August 1765 to be short by 41
seconds, whereas his charts (by Tobias Mayer, 1752) were long by 68 seconds.
Sidereal periods
Considered in modern English units of time, Aryabhata calculated the sidereal rotation (the
rotation of the earth referencing the fixed stars) as 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.1 seconds;
the modern value is [Link].091. Similarly, his value for the length of the sidereal year at 365
days, 6 hours, 12 minutes, and 30 seconds (365.25858 days) is an error of 3 minutes and 20
seconds over the length of a year (365.25636 days).
Heliocentrism
As mentioned, Aryabhata advocated an astronomical model in which the Earth turns on its
own axis. His model also gave corrections (the śīgra anomaly) for the speeds of the planets
in the sky in terms of the mean speed of the Sun. Thus, it has been suggested that
Aryabhata's calculations were based on an underlying heliocentric model, in which the
planets orbit the Sun, though this has been rebutted. It has also been suggested that aspects
of Aryabhata's system may have been derived from an earlier, likely pre-Ptolemaic Greek,
heliocentric model of which Indian astronomers were unaware, though the evidence is scant.
The consensus is that a synodic anomaly (depending on the position of the Sun) does not
imply a physically heliocentric orbit (such corrections being also present in late Babylonian
astronomical texts), and that Aryabhata's system was not explicitly heliocentric.
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[Link] and Influence
Impact on Scholars Aryabhata influenced many scholars, including Bhaskara I and
Brahmagupta, who expanded upon his work. His methods also reached the Islamic world,
shaping the works of astronomers like Al-Khwarizmi.
Space Exploration India’s first satellite, launched in 1975, was named Aryabhata in his
honor, symbolizing his enduring legacy.
Modern Education and Research Aryabhata’s work is integrated into modern curricula and
inspires research institutions such as the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational
Sciences (ARIES).
Ongoing Relevance Contemporary scholars continue to study Aryabhata’s methods, using
advanced tools to explore his mathematical models and astronomical calculations.
Aryabhata's work was of great influence in the Indian astronomical tradition and influenced
several neighbouring cultures through translations. The Arabic translation during the Islamic
Golden Age (c. 820 CE), was particularly influential. Some of his results are cited by Al-
Khwarizmi and in the 10th century Al-Biruni stated that Aryabhata's followers believed that
the Earth rotated on its axis.
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His definitions of sine (jya), cosine (kojya), versine (utkrama-jya), and inverse sine (otkram
jya) influenced the birth of trigonometry. He was also the first to specify sine and versine (1 −
cos x) tables, in 3.75° intervals from 0° to 90°, to an accuracy of 4 decimal places.
In fact, the modern terms "sine" and "cosine" are mistranscriptions of the words jya and
kojya as introduced by Aryabhata. As mentioned, they were translated as jiba and kojiba in
Arabic and then misunderstood by Gerard of Cremona while translating an Arabic geometry
text to Latin. He assumed that jiba was the Arabic word jaib, which means "fold in a
garment", L. sinus (c. 1150).
Aryabhata's astronomical calculation methods were also very influential. Along with the
trigonometric tables, they came to be widely used in the Islamic world and used to compute
many Arabic astronomical tables (zijes). In particular, the astronomical tables in the work of
the Arabic Spain scientist Al-Zarqali (11th century) were translated into Latin as the Tables of
Toledo (12th century) and remained the most accurate ephemeris used in Europe for
centuries.
Calendric calculations devised by Aryabhata and his followers have been in continuous use in
India for the practical purposes of fixing the Panchangam (the Hindu calendar). In the Islamic
world, they formed the basis of the Jalali calendar introduced in 1073 CE by a group of
astronomers including Omar Khayyam,versions of which (modified in 1925) are the national
calendars in use in Iran and Afghanistan today. The dates of the Jalali calendar are based on
actual solar transit, as in Aryabhata and earlier Siddhanta calendars. This type of calendar
requires an ephemeris for calculating dates. Although dates were difficult to compute,
seasonal errors were less in the Jalali calendar than in the Gregorian calendar. [citation
needed]
Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU), Patna has been established by Government of Bihar
for the development and management of educational infrastructure related to technical,
medical, management and allied professional education in his honour. The university is
governed by Bihar State University Act 2008.
India's first satellite Aryabhata and the lunar crater Aryabhata are both named in his honour,
the Aryabhata satellite also featured on the reverse of the Indian 2-rupee note. An Institute
for conducting research in astronomy, astrophysics and atmospheric sciences is the
Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) near Nainital, India. The
inter-school Aryabhata Maths Competition is also named after him, as is Bacillus aryabhata,
a species of bacteria discovered in the stratosphere by ISRO
Ongoing Relevance Contemporary scholars continue to study Aryabhata’s methods, using
advanced tools to explore his mathematical models and astronomical calculations.
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[Link]
Aryabhata’s contributions to mathematics and astronomy exemplify intellectual brilliance
and innovation. His legacy transcends time, inspiring generations of scientists,
mathematicians, and educators. From his revolutionary theories to the Aryabhatiya,
Aryabhata’s work remains a beacon of scientific inquiry and achievement
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