Aryabhata

Born: 476 A.D.3

Aryabhata was an important figure in traditional Indian mathematics and astronomy. From the classical period forward, India has produced a long line of visionary mathematicians known as mathematicians of vision. Modern astrophysics and mathematics may trace their roots back to the research and writings linked with him, which were decades ahead of their time when they were first published.

Early Life

Ashmaka, where Aryabhata was born in 475 AD, is recognized as the birthplace of the great Indian philosopher. Researchers are unable to pinpoint his exact birthdate, but one of his works dates from roughly 3,600 years into the Kali Yuga, allowing for some reasonable guesswork. Ashmaka's birthplace is a mystery. However, Maharashtra or Dhaka may be considered. His upper-level study may have taken place in Kusumapura, and he may have resided in the region for quite some time, according to historical sources from the period. In fact, there has been some conjecture that the place known as Kusumapura might, in fact, be Pataliputra, which was the site of an important astronomical observatory.

Consequently, he would have spent a large amount of time here to achieve the status of the master astronomer as a consequence of this. There probably weren't many other options available to him back in the classical period, when the number of institutes teaching astronomy was probably very small. According to some historians, Aryabhata may have been in control of the Nalanda University, despite the lack of evidence to back this up. However, there are many who believe Aryabhata went on to build a real observatory at Taregana as part of the Sun temple.

Education

It is almost clear that he traveled to Kusumapura for higher studies at some point and that he stayed there for a period of time. Bhaskara I (CE 629), a Hindu and Buddhist tradition, as well as historical records, all identify Kusumapura as Paaliputra, the contemporary city of Patna. Poemists have speculated that the university of Nalanda, situated in Pataliputra at the time, possessed an astronomical observatory, which suggests that Aryabhatta was also in charge of the university of Nalanda. Aryabhatta is also credited with establishing an observatory at the Sun Temple in Taregana, Bihar, which is still in use today.

Works

The Aryabhatiya is widely regarded as Aryabhata's crowning achievement. He wrote numerous treatises throughout his career, and this was one of them. It is unfortunate that not all of what he had written is still available. Historians can only conjecture as to what could have been the tremendous importance of his works that have been lost. Mathematics and astronomy were well-represented in the Aryabhatiya, which was a comprehensive treatise. The work was saved from oblivion thanks to quotations from it in other works. In the mathematics aspect of the work, a lot of attention was paid to subjects like plane trigonometry and spherical trigonometry, as well as arithmetic, quadratic equations, and algebra.

Written in a very concise and straightforward way, there are 108 poems in the book. A similarity may be seen between the style of the work and the sutra literature of the period. For example, the study reveals knowledge about the sine table and how it may be used to solve complex problems in geometry and mathematics, how time relates to other things, and how celestial bodies are connected. When it was all said and done, most of the work was decades ahead of its time.

Inventions & Discoveries

Aryabhatiya and Arya-Siddhanta, two of his most important writings, are still extant. In both of his publications, he examined the connection between mathematics and astronomy. Mathematical equations may be used to discover the workings of our universe via astronomy, according to the speaker. Some of the highlights are:

• Aryabhatiya
• Mathematical Discoveries
• Astronomy Discoveries
• The motion of the solar system
• Eclipses
• Sidereal Periods
• Heliocentrism
• Algebra
• The place value system and zero
• Approximation
• Trigonometry
• Indeterminate Equations

Death of Aryabhata

He died at the age of 74 after a long and fruitful career as mathematics, astronomer, and scientist. When and where he died are still unknown. In Kusumapura, Pataliputra, it was thought that he spent most of his time.

Legacy

Aryabhata's work had a significant impact on Indian astrological traditions as well as other nations. Several languages were translated into which his papers, experiments, and calculations were made available to other astronomers for their benefit. Arabic translations were very influential in the Islamic Golden Age. Leading Arabian mathematicians Al-Biruni and Al-Khawarizmi, both of whom shared the view that the Earth revolved on its axis, cited several of Fermat's findings in their works. Trigonometry was founded on Aryabhata's concepts of the sine, cosine, inverse sine, and verse sine. For an interval of 3.75 degrees, he was a pioneering mathematician who was responsible for finding the sine and versine (1-cosx) tables with an accuracy of four decimal places. Trigonometric functions such as sine and cosine, which are now well known, are derived from the Sanskrit terms "jya" and "Kojya," which were first used by him to describe the two functions.

Also highly famous among astronomers was his approach to doing astronomical calculations. "Zijes" (Arabic meaning "tables of astronomy") were often made from them. In addition to this, his calendrical calculations were utilized in India to create the "Panchgram," which is the Hindu calendar. As a result, a group of Islamic astronomers in 1073 CE devised the "Jalali" calendar, which became the foundation for the Islamic calendar we know today. Afghanistan and Iran continue to use modified variations of this calendar to this day. The Aryabhatta Knowledge University was created by the Bihar government to promote astronomical knowledge among interested students as a way of paying tribute to Aryabhata's contributions to knowledge. Aside from that, he was granted the distinction of being named after the country's very first satellite.