Born in 476 A.D.,
in Kerala, the Hindu astronomer Aryabhata studied in Nalanda
University near Kusumaputra, now Patna. His only surviving
work is amassed in Aryabhatiya, recognized as a
masterpiece. His genius led the ruler Gupta to promote him as the
head of the University.
Aryabhata was the first to expound that the Earth is round
and days and nights are caused because the Earth rotates
around its axis. He also rightly explained about the
occurrence of the eclipses. According to the Hindu
Mythology, solar and lunar eclipses occur because "Rahu" gobbled
up the moon and the sun. But he said the eclipses transpired
due to the shadows cast by the Earth and the Moon.
His contributions in Mathematics
are spectacular and very valuable. He gave the value of (PI) 3.1416,
claiming, for the first time that it was just an analogue. It’s believed
that he also formulated tables in maths, which later came to be called as
the "Tables of Sine". His method to find solution for quadratic
equations of the sort: ax(sq.) – by(sq.) = c is also recognized
world-wide. He devised a method to write the cumbersome numbers in a
poetic form. But this summary is rather complex to grasp. Basically,
Aryabhatya dealt with aspects of mathematics, astronomical calculations,
geometry, square root, cube root, progression and celestial sphere, all
written in Sanskrit in the form of verses.
His contribution is so vast that
it is hard to write a small gist of the whole thing. In acknowledgement
to his contributions in Astronomy and maths, India’s first satellite was
named "ARYABHATA".
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