Brahmagupta 598 - 670 A.D.

Brahmagupta from 598 - 670 A.D Name Course Lecturer Institution Brahmagupta wrote several important works on mathematics and astronomy that has helped several mathematicians unravel impediments in mathematics. Brahmagupta was a son to Jisnugupta and he made marvelous contributions in Mathematics. In particular, Brahmagupta wrote Brahmasphutasiddhanta (The Opening of the Universe). This was written in 628 and has 25 chapters. In this work, Brahmagupta tells us that it was written in Bhillamala which is currently known as Bhinmal. This city was also used as the capital of the lands which were ruked by the Gurjara dynasty. The author, Brahmagupta was the head of astronomical observatory at Ujjain which was the foremost mathematical centre of ancient India. There are several outstanding mathematicians who have worked at this centre among them Varahamihira who among other things, managed to build a very strong school of Mathematical astronomy (Gupta, 1972). Apart from Brahmasphutasiddhanta (The Opening of the Universe), Brahmagupta also wrote Khandakhadyaka in 665. He wrote this work when he was 67 years old. There are several remarkable ideas which the two treatises hold. Brahmasphutasiddhanta (The Opening of the Universe) has twenty five chapters. However, the first ten chapters of the work form what many historians believe was a first version of his work. Actually there are very many manuscripts which contain only the first ten chapters. These chapters are arranged in topics which are characteristic of Indian mathematical astronomy of the period. The topics which have been comprehensively covered in the first ten include longitudes of the planets, the three problems of diurnal rotation, lunar eclipses, the moon`s shadow, the conjunctions of the planets with fixed stars, the conjunctions of planets with each other, true longitudes of the planets and the risings and the settings. The remaining fifteen chapters of Brahmasphutasiddhanta (The Opening of the Universe), according to various historians forms the second work which is actually a major addendum to the original treaties (Suryanarayan, 1996). The remaining fifteen chapters include: examination of previous treatises on astronomy; on mathematics; additions to chapter 1; additions to chapter 2; additions to chapter 3; additions to chapter 4 and 5; additions to chapter 7; on algebra; on the gnomon; on meters; on the sphere; on instruments; summary of contents; versified tables. Brahmagupta had a very strong understanding of the number systems which actually went far beyond what others who existed during the period had. In this piece of work, Brahmagupta gave a comprehensive definition of zero. He states that zero is the result obtained after subtracting a number from itself. Some of the properties which he gave included the following: "When zero is added to a number or subtracte...