Monday, November 19, 2007

Trignometry & Astronomy, well developed in India !







Western scholars Thibeau and Whitney argued that the early Indians did not have any conceptions about Maths and Astronomy and the calculations of the Cosmological Cycles ( One Cosmological Cycle = 4.32 billion years ) were looted from the Greeks and the Romans.

On the other hand, another Western scholar, the Rev Ebenezor Burgess who translated the Surya Siddhanta into English, differed from them saying that the early Indians were pioneers of Astronomy and Maths.

In Aryabhateeyam, Maha Bhaskareeyam and Brahma Sphuta Siddhanta, to mention 3 major astronomical treatises, Bhuja was Sin, Koti was Cos and Sparsa was Tan. Bhuja chapa was Arc Sine of an angle (Asin), Koti Chapa was arc cosine of an angle ( Acos )& Sparsa Chapa was arc tangent of an angle(Atan). Sin was Bhujajya/ Trijya, Opposite Side/Hypotenuse and Cos was Koti Jya / Trijya, Adjacent Side/Hypotenuse. All trignometric funtions which we know as Sin, Tan and Cos had Sanskrit names and Spherical Astronomy and Spherical Trignometry were well developed in India !

No comments: