Gaṇita: Mathematics That Changed the World

Discover how Indian mathematicians invented zero, the decimal system, algebra, trigonometry, and calculus precursors. Trace how this knowledge traveled via Arab scholars to Europe and became foundational to modern science.

Lessons in this chapter

• Śūnya: The Zero That Changed Everything — How Brahmagupta's rules for zero revolutionized mathematics
• Daśamāna: The Decimal System's Indian Origins — How 'Hindu numerals' became the global standard for calculation
• Bījagaṇita: Algebra Before Al-Jabr — How Indian algebraists solved equations centuries before Arabic mathematics
• Jyā: Trigonometry Born from Astronomy — How 'jyā' became 'sine' and transformed navigation and physics
• Kerala School: Calculus Before Newton — Mādhava's infinite series and the missing link to European calculus
• Śulbasūtra: Geometry in Sacred Architecture — The Pythagorean theorem centuries before Pythagoras
• Computational Methods: Algorithms Before Computers — Āryabhaṭa's Kuṭṭaka and the Chakravala, recursion and iteration in ancient India

Back to Bharatiya Vigyan: Inventions & Discoveries