While some of you might find mathematics difficult, others enjoy working with numbers. Regardless of whether you enjoy or detest maths, it is a necessary part of daily life. Many Indian mathematicians have won accolades from nations all over the world. Some of the world's greatest minds are from India. India has been a pioneer in all disciplines, from literature and science to art and theatre, thanks to incredibly gifted individuals who have brought honor to their nation.
Famous Indian Mathematicians
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Srinivasa Ramanujan was a brilliant Indian mathematician who is still recognized for his contributions to the discipline. Ramanujan was an incredibly gifted youngster who could easily outperform other children his age in maths. Ramanujan is celebrated today for developing crucial equations, the infinite series of π, and game theory.
1914 was a crucial year in the brilliant mathematician's arduous life. He was invited to Cambridge by the eminent mathematician G.H. Hardy. He received his Ph.D. from the university in 1916. Ramanujan passed away in 1920 at a young age as a result of tuberculosis.
Famous for: Ramanujan's Prime Number Theorems, Infinite Series and Identities & Ramanujan Conjectures among others.
1729 is the smallest nontrivial taxicab number, and is known as the Hardy–Ramanujan number, after an anecdote of the British mathematician G. H. Hardy when he visited Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan in hospital.
Bhaskara I
Bhaskara, the 7th-century famous Indian mathematician, is known for his invention of the Hindu decimal system.
This Aryabhata follower wrote a critique, Aryabhatiyabhasya, which is considered the oldest known Sanskrit work in mathematics and astronomy. His other works include Mahabhaskariya and Laghubhāskarīya.
Mahabhaskariya comprises 8 chapters, dwelling on mathematical astronomy. The book discusses the relationship between cosine and sine and gives the sin x approximation formula. The book examines the longitudes of the planets, conjunctions of the planets with one another and with eclipses of the sun & the moon, shining stars, the lunar crescent, risings, and settings. Furthermore, the book explains the relationship between the sine of a point >90° >180° or >270° to the sine of a point <90°.
Famous For: Understanding of Zero, Astronomy, and Aryabhatiya Commentaries
Bhaskara I was a 7th-century Indian mathematician and astronomer, notable for being the first to write numbers in the Hindu-Arabic decimal system. His work laid foundational aspects for future mathematical developments.
Bhaskara II: Also known as Bhaskara Achārya, Bhaskara II (1114–1185) was a significant Indian mathematician and astronomer. He expanded on Brahmagupta's works, particularly in number systems, and contributed greatly to the fields of calculus and trigonometry
Aryabhatta
Aryabhatta, a scientist, astronomer, and mathematician is credited with the discovery of the spherical shape of the earth, and the number of days in 1 year. His other notable works are Aryabhatasiddhanta and Aryabhatiya. Aryabhatiya has three sections:
- Ganita (Mathematics): This section has the names of the first 10 decimal places and provides algorithms for finding cube and square roots through decimals.
- Kala-kriya (Time Calculations): Aryabhata examines cosmology like planetary movements, meanings of different units of time, etc.
- Gola (Sphere): In this section, the mathematician used trigonometry for spherical geometry.
Famous for: Aryabhatiya, Trigonometry Formulas, Value of Pi (π) among others.
Build a strong foundation in fundamentals with a maths class 8 and explore the principles behind discoveries like these.
Aryabhatta introduced the concept of zero in the decimal number system, essential for digit representation and calculations.
Although he didn't explicitly use a symbol for zero, Aryabhatta's work implied a placeholder system through the word 'kha,' indicating an understanding similar to zero. While Aryabhata is credited with formalizing the concept of zero, other ancient civilizations such as the Babylonians and Mayans had already used a notion of "empty space" to denote the absence of a value, though not as a fully functional digit within a numerical system.
Brahmagupta
Brahmagupta, an astronomer and mathematician from Rajasthan, is well-known for his book Brhmasphuasiddhnta, in which he discusses the usage of the number 0. His writings were mostly in Sanskrit. Brahmagupta, also known as Bhillamalacarya, is credited with developing the fields of algebra, trigonometry (Sine Table and Interpolation Formula), and general linear equations. He also developed Brahmagupta's Theorem and Brahmagupta's Formula.
Brahmagupta was unable to complete the use of 0 in division calculations, but he did provide formulae for doing so, such as (1 + 0 = 1; 1 - 0 = 1; and 1 x 0 = 0). He discovered negative numbers and calculated them, which is why he is regarded as the world's greatest mathematician. In addition, Brahmagupta's discovery of √10 (3.162277) provided geometry and trigonometry new dimensions.
Famous For: Introduction of Zero, Brahmasphutasiddhanta, Contributions To Quadratic equations among others.
Aryabhata and Brahmagupta are not the same; they were distinct mathematicians and astronomers, with Aryabhata predating Brahmagupta.
Aryabhata lived from 476 to 550 AD, whereas Brahmagupta lived from 597 to 668 AD, showing their contributions came at different periods.
P.C. Mahalanobis
P.C. Mahalanobis was born in Kolkata. He completed his graduation in Physics from Presidency College and went to Cambridge for higher education. He is renowned as a scientist, mathematician, and statistician as well as the father of statistics in India. He helped establish the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in India in 1913.
Subsequently, he helped organize the Planning Commission of India. In 1926, he laid the foundation for the construction of the Hirakund Dam in Odisha on the Mahanadi River. D2-statistic, often known as Mahalanobis Distance, is among his best-known works. The measurement of the correlation between two different data sets is represented by this distance.
Famous For: Mahalanobis Distance, Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Five Year Plans among others.
The Indian Statistical Institute was founded by Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis on 17th December 1931 in Kolkata.
Satyendra Nath Bose
S.N. Bose is most well-known for the Bose-Einstein condensate, in which Bose collaborated with Albert Einstein. Because of his work on the boson particle, Bose is also known as the "Father of the God Particles." The God particle is another name for the boson particle.
Upon completing his Master's degree in 1915, Bose and his classmates began translating Einstein's works, after receiving Einstein's approval. In 1924, Bose presented a paper in which he deduced Planck's Theory, a theory not established till then. This publication made him famous among the world's top mathematicians. Even Einstein was impressed by Bose's work.
On Einstein's advice, Bose translated his paper into German and submitted it to the European Physics Journal. He was president of the National Institute of Science and served as an advisor to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research before he passed away in 1974.
Famous For: Bose-Einstein Statistics, Bose-Einstein Condensate, Quantum Mechanics and Statistical Mechanics among others.
Satyendra Nath Bose did not receive a Nobel Prize because his significant contributions were not deemed worthy by members of the Nobel Committee, particularly Oskar Klein.
From 1953 to the present, Bose has made several highly significant contributions with far-reaching implications on the subject of Einstein's Unitary Field Theory.
D.R. Kaprekar
Dattatreya Ramchandra Kaprekar was born in 1905. In 1927, he won the Wrangler R. P. Paranjpe Mathematical Prize for his notable work in the field of mathematics. After graduating from the University of Mumbai in 1929, he started teaching at Nashik School.
During this period, Kaprekar persistently published papers on various topics like magic squares, recurring decimals, and integers having special properties. The number 6174 is called Kaprekar Constant. Kaprekar also described numerous classes of natural numbers.
Famous For: Kaprekar Numbers & Routines among others.
The number 1 is considered a Kaprekar number in every base because when squared (1² = 01 in any base), the sum of its parts (0 + 1) equals 1. This property holds true universally across different numeric bases.
For instance, 45 is a Kaprekar number because 45^2 = 2025 and 20 + 25 = 45. The number 1 is Kaprekar in every base because 1^2 = 01 in any base, and 0 + 1 = 1.
Shakuntala Devi
The charismatic Shakuntala Devi is recognized for her exceptional calculating speed. For this reason, she was given the title of ‘human-computer.’ She was born in 1929 in Bangalore. Her journey was a bit different from other famous Indian mathematicians. From memorizing cards for circus shows to getting her name into the Guinness Book of World Records, Shakuntala Devi was one incredible story!
Famous For: Exceptional Mental Calculations, among others.
Mahavira
The 9th-century Indian mathematician, Mahavira, is known for setting mathematics and astrology apart. He was the first mathematician to explain that square roots don’t exist in the case of negative numbers.
His work, Ganitasarasangraha, includes various mathematical procedures, including basic operations, linear and quadratic equations, mixed problems, proportionality-based rule of 3, geometric calculations, and reduction of fractions. Mahavira is also known for his contribution to naming the concepts of a semicircle, circle, isosceles triangle, rhombus, and equilateral triangle.
Not all of us can become Shakuntala Devi. But we can ace mathematics by practicing with fun maths puzzles and games!
Famous For: Astrologic contributions, Square roots among others.
Narendra Karmarkar
The numerous linear programming problems can be solved using Karmarkar's approach in polynomial time. Most of the time, these issues are represented by "n" variables and "m" constraints. The old methodology for solving these types of problems involved representing a large portion of the issue as an "x" sided solidly with "y" vertices, and then approaching the entire solution by traversing it from vertex to vertex.
Karmarkar's innovative strategy traverses all of the above solids by cutting through it. As a result, the Karmarkar algorithm approach is substantially faster at solving difficult optimization problems. The resolution of a difficult problem in communications network optimization, where it took weeks to find a solution, is a real-world illustration of this kind of efficiency. His method promotes quicker business and different policy judgments as a result.
Famous For: Karmarkar equation, Karmakar algorithm among others.
Indian Mathematician Chart & Renowned Achievements
| Mathematicians Of India | Renowned For |
| Aryabhata | Formula: (a + b) 2 = a2 + b2 + 2ab |
| Brahmagupta | Introduction of zero (0) |
| Srinivasa Ramanujan | Properties of the Partition Function |
| P.C. Mahalanobis | Mahalanobis Distance |
| C.R. Rao | Theory of Estimation |
| D.R. Kaprekar | Devlali numbers, Kaprekar numbers, the Harshad numbers and Demlo numbers. |
| Harish Chandra | Representation theory, Harmonic analysis on semisimple Lie groups. |
| Satyendra Nath Bose | Extension collaboration with Albert Einstein, Modern theoretical physics in India. |
| Bhaskara | Declared that any number divided by zero is infinity and that the sum of any number and infinity is also infinity. |
| Narendra Karmarkar | Karmarkar’s algorithm: maximize cTx subject to Ax ≤ b. |
Who Invented Maths in India?
Mathematics has a long and rich history in India, and its development cannot be attributed to a single inventor or individual. Mathematical ideas and concepts in India evolved over thousands of years through the contributions of numerous mathematicians, scholars, and ancient civilizations.
Mathematics In Vedas
Vedic Mathematics was unearthed by Shri Bharathi Krishna Tirthaji between AD 1911 and 1918. It is an age-old method of computation that encompasses a set of techniques and mathematical principles aimed at simplifying and expediting problem-solving.
| Counting and Enumeration The Vedas do contain references to counting and enumeration. For example, there are hymns that mention large numbers, and some texts describe procedures for counting cattle. |
| Use of Fractions The Yajur Veda, one of the four Vedas, contains references to fractions. It includes descriptions of dividing rituals, which involve the use of fractions for offerings and sacrifices. |
| Geometry and Measurement The Shulba Sutras, a part of the Vedic literature, deal with geometry and measurements. They contain geometric principles and techniques for constructing altars and fireplaces used in Vedic rituals. |
| Sanskrit Numerals The Vedas use Sanskrit numerals, which are the precursor to the modern Hindu-Arabic numeral system. |
| Metaphorical and Ritual Use In many cases, numerical references in the Vedas have a ritual or metaphorical significance rather than being purely mathematical. |
These mathematicians and their contributions, among many others, played a crucial role in the development of mathematics in India. Indian mathematical concepts and techniques gradually spread to other parts of the world, influencing the broader field of mathematics.
India's Contribution to Mathematics
Prior to similar developments in Europe, mathematics on the Indian subcontinent had a long history dating back more than 3,000 years, flourishing for generations while its impact was also expanding to China and the Middle East.
Indian mathematicians not only introduced us to the notion of zero, but also made significant advances in the study of trigonometry, algebra, arithmetic, and negative numbers, among other fields. Maybe most significantly, India is where the decimal system that we still use today was initially introduced.
The Number System
Mathematical knowledge was recorded in the vast corpus of knowledge known as the Vedas as early as 1200 BC. Numbers were frequently expressed in ancient texts as combinations of powers of 10. Three hundreds (3x100), six tens (6x100), and five units (5x100), for instance, could be used to represent the number 365.
The Brahmi numbers, the forerunners of the contemporary Indian or Hindu-Arabic numeric system that the majority of the world uses today, are also documented in writing from the third century BC. Nearly all of the mathematical foundations needed for ancient Indians to study advanced mathematics would be in place once zero was introduced.
Discovery of Zero
The placeholder symbol for naught only became a number in its own right in India. The idea of zero was introduced, which made it possible to accurately write numbers. This made it possible to maintain accurate records, resulting in the review of significant financial computations in the past, guaranteeing that everyone involved acted honestly.
Quadratic Equations
The Brahmasputha Siddhanta, which was composed in the seventh century, has the earliest recorded documentation of the guidelines for using zero. The astronomer, Brahmagupta, developed procedures for computing square roots and for solving quadratic equations, which are popular among secondary school maths students.
Negative Number Rules
Brahmagupta also provided examples of how to deal with negative numbers. Positive numbers were referred to as fortunes and negative ones as debts. This is consistent with the rule we are taught in school, which states that subtracting a negative number is equivalent to adding a positive one.
Solve unit conversion problems in maths by mastering the metric system rules.
Foundations of Calculus
One of the pioneers in the systematic use of zero and the negatives in Europe was Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who developed calculus in the late 17th century. Many of Leibniz's concepts had already been established by the Indian mathematician, Bhaskara, more than 500 years prior.
Indians have always been known for their achievements in the field of Mathematics, as we continue to progress in 2023. The contribution of Indian mathematicians has been essential in the development of the scientific and mathematic community of the world.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
