Scientists of Ancient India

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Baudhayan was an ancient Indian mathematician. He is remembered for first calculating the value of pi and for stating what is known today as the Pythagoras theorem in his Sulva Sutra, written before P…

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Pi is an important mathematical value used in finding the area and circumference of a circle. Ancient Indian scholars understood its importance very early, and Baudhayan first calculated its value.

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The Pythagoras theorem states that in a right triangle, a squared plus b squared equals c squared. Baudhayan's Sulva Sutra contains this idea even before the time of Pythagoras, showing that the conce…

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Aryabhatta was a fifth century mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, and physicist. He made major contributions to mathematics and astronomy and is one of the most famous scientists of ancient India.

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Aryabhattiya was Aryabhatta's famous work, written when he was 23 years old. It has four sections, and the last two sections are on astronomy.

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Aryabhatta showed that zero was not only a numeral, but also a symbol and a concept. This was a major step in the development of mathematics.

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The discovery of zero enabled Aryabhatta to calculate the exact distance between the earth and the moon. It also opened up a new dimension of negative numerals.

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Khagol was the famous astronomical observatory at Nalanda where Aryabhatta studied. It shows that astronomy was well developed in ancient India.