This book includes 58 selected articles that highlight the major contributions of Professor Radha Charan Gupta—a doyen of history of mathematics—written on a variety of important topics pertaining to mathematics and astronomy in India. It is divided into ten parts. Part I presents three articles offering an overview of Professor Gupta’s oeuvre. The four articles in Part II convey the importance of studies in the history of mathematics. Parts III–VII constituting 33 articles, feature a number of articles on a variety of topics, such as geometry, trigonometry, algebra, combinatorics and spherical trigonometry, which not only reveal the breadth and depth of Professor Gupta’s work, but also highlight his deep commitment to the promotion of studies in the history of mathematics. The ten articles of part VIII, present interesting bibliographical sketches of a few veteran historians of mathematics and astronomy in India. Part IX examines the dissemination of mathematical knowledge across different civilisations. The last part presents an up-to-date bibliography of Gupta’s work. It also includes a tribute to him in Sanskrit composed in eight verses.
Table of Content
Part 1: The oeuvre of Radha Charan Gupta.- Chapter 1. A Birthday Tribute to R. C. Gupta.- Chapter 2. Professor R. C. Gupta receives the Kenneth O. May Prize.- Part 2: On Studies in History of Mathematics.- Chapter 3. On the Date of Sridhara.- Chapter 4. In the Name of Vedic Mathematics.- Part 3: Mathematics in Ancient period.- Chapter 5. Decimal Denominational Terms in Ancient and Medieval India.- Chapter 6. The Chronic Problem of Ancient Indian Chronology.- Part 4: Jaina Mathematics and Astronomy.- Chapter 7. Circumference of the Jambudvipa in Jaina Cosmography.- Chapter 8. Chords and Areas of Jambudvipa Regions in Jaina Cosmography.- Chapter 9. The First Unenumerable Number in Jaina Mathematics.- Part 5: Geometry.- Chapter 10. Brahmagupta’s Formulas for the Area and Diagonals of a Cyclic Quadrilateral.- Chapter 11. Yantras or Mystic diagrams: A wide area for Study in Ancient and Medieval Indian Mathematics.- Part 6: Interpolations and Combinatorics.- Chapter 12. Second Order Interpolation in Indian Mathematics up to the Fifteenth Century.- Chapter 13. Varahamihira’s Calculation of n Cr and the Discovery of Pascal’s Triangle.- Chapter 14. Early Pandiagonal Magic Squares in India.- Part 7: Trigonometry and Spherical Trigonometry.- Chapter 15. Indian Values of the Sinus Totus.- Part 8: Bio-bibliographical sketches of some historians of Mathematics.- Chapter 16. Review of Pingree’s Census of Exact Sciences in Sanskrit.- Chapter 17. Obituary — T. A. Sarasvati Amma.- Part 9: Transmission of Mathematics and Astronomy between India and Other Civilizations.- Chapter 18. Indian Astronomy and Mathematics in Eleventh Century Spain.- Chapter 19. Sino-Indian Interaction and the Great Chinese Buddhist Astronomer- Mathematician I-Hsing.- Part 10: Writings of and on R. C. Gupta.- Chapter 20. Bibliography.
About the author
K. RAMASUBRAMANIAN is a professor at the Cell for the Indian Science and Technology in Sanskrit, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India. He holds a doctorate degree in theoretical physics, a master’s degree in Sanskrit, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering—a weird but formidable combination of subjects to do multi-disciplinary research. He was honoured with the coveted title “Vidvat Pravara” by the Shankaracharya of Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham, Karnataka, India, for completing a rigorous course in
Advaita Vedānta (a 14-semester program), in 2003. He is one of the authors who prepared detailed explanatory notes of the celebrated works
Gaṇita-yuktibhāṣā (rationales in mathematical astronomy)
Tantrasaṅgraha and
Karaṇa-paddhati, which bring out the seminal contributions of the Kerala School of Astronomers and Mathematicians. The prestigious
Maharshi Badarayan Vyas Samman was conferred upon him by the President of India, in 2008. He is a recipient of several other awards and coveted titles as well. From 2013, he serves as an elected council member of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology. He is also a member of various other national and international bodies.
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