THE ARYABHATIYA OF ARYABHATA: AN ANCIENT INDIAN WORK OF MATHEMATICS AND ASTRONOMY. TRANSLATED WITH NOTES BY WALTER EUGENE CLARK.
Book Details + Condition: The University of Chicago Press (Chicago). First Edition, 1930. Hardcover with brown boards, gilt to front and spine. 81 pages with Index. Illustrated. The work is a seminal 5th-century treatise on ancient Indian mathematics and astronomy. American philologist Walter Eugene Clark provides a complete translated text, detailed annotations, and contextual insights into scientific development in India. From the jacket: "Aryabhata's work, which was composed in 499 A.D., is probably the oldest preserved text from the third or scientific period of Indian History, and is the earliest preserved Indian mathematical text. It is therefore of considerable importance in the history of astronomy and mathematics. This is the first attempt at a complete translation." Key groundbreaking mathematical and astronomical assertions include:
- Astronomy: It famously posits that the Earth is a rotating sphere, accurately explains the causes of solar and lunar eclipses, and asserts that the planets shine by reflected sunlight.
- Trigonometry & Algebra: The work establishes foundational trigonometric functions (like the sine or jya) and contains rules for solving algebraic equations and arithmetic progressions.
- Value of π (Pi): It calculates π as {62832}/{20000} approx. (3.1416), a remarkably precise approximation for the ancient world.
Firm binding; light aging and shelf wear to boards; cutout of what appears to be original jacket to ffep; interior is clean and free of markings. All books are carefully packed, and shipped in boxes.
