I know he wasn't strictly a mathematician, but as I understand, Baudhayana recorded information on (what we know as) the Pythagorean Theorem and other geometrical properties like $\sqrt{2}$, in the Shulba Sutras, c. 800 BCE, about 200 years before Pythagoras. Other than his sutras, do we have any definite historical works on or about him?
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You can find a brief discussion in :
- Eli Maor, The Pythagorean theorem : A 4000-year history (2007), page 66-67.
See also Ch.8 : Ancient Indian Mathematics, page 311-on of :
- George Gheverghese Joseph, The Crest of the Peacock Non-European Roots of Mathematics (2011).
See also Ch.IV on Geometry, page 155-on, of :
- T.S. Bhanu Murthy, A Modern Introduction to Ancient Indian Mathematics (1992).
Mauro ALLEGRANZA
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Perfect, just what I was looking for. – galois Dec 12 '14 at 01:51
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Actually nothing historical is known about Baudhāyana. Some authors say he lived around 800 BC, others put him around 200 BC, others doubt that there ever was such a person. There is a very small amount of interesting mathematical information in one of treatises ascribed to him, but in the absence of any verifiable chronological data it is impossible to place it in the history of mathematics. The stuff about him on the internet is Indian nationalist propaganda. – fdb Dec 12 '14 at 18:56
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@fdb: By "the stuff on the internet", do you include the Wikipedia article, for instance? – ShreevatsaR Feb 20 '16 at 02:27
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@ShreevatsaR. Of course. – fdb Feb 20 '16 at 09:14
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@fdb All of the stuff on the Wikipedia article is well-cited, and true. It is not Indian nationalist propaganda. I can add better citations if you're not convinced. – ShreevatsaR Feb 20 '16 at 17:06