Abstract:
Mathematics has been actively pursued in India almost continuously for over three thousand years. In the millennium BCE it was inspired by the construction of altars and platforms involved in the Vedic practice of performance of yajnas (fire rituals) on the one hand, and in parallel in the Jaina tradition on account of their cosmographical models on the other hand. Starting from the early centuries of CE, following Greek influence there emerged a deep interest in mathematical astronomy, and related mathematical issues in arithmetic, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, which was to last for over a thousand years. The tradition later proved to be inspirational to what is known as the Kerala school of Madhava, which in particular produced many seminal ideas along the lines of summation of infinite series and Calculus.
The aim of the talk will be to give an overview of the different traditions over various historical periods, highlighting the motivations for the pursuits in the respective traditions, and the key features of the mathematical ideas at different times. Some of the significant achievements will be discussed in some detail.
*) The entrance is the same
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