Brahmagupta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | c. 598 CE |
| Died | c. 668 CE (aged c. 69–70) |
| Known for | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy, mathematics |
Brahmagupta (c. 598 – c. 668 CE) was an Indian mathematician and astronomer. He is the author of two early works on mathematics and astronomy: the Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta (BSS, "correctly established doctrine of Brahma", dated 628), a theoretical treatise, and the Khandakhadyaka ("edible bite", dated 665), a more practical text.
In 628 CE, Brahmagupta first described gravity as an attractive force, and used the term "gurutvākarṣaṇam (गुरुत्वाकर्षणम्)" in Sanskrit to describe it.[1][2][3][4] He is also credited with the first clear description of the quadratic formula (the solution of the quadratic equation)[5] in his main work, the Brāhma-sphuṭa-siddhānta.[6]
- ^ Pickover, Clifford (2008). Archimedes to Hawking: Laws of Science and the Great Minds Behind Them. Oxford University Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-19-979268-9.
- ^ Bose, Mainak Kumar (1988). Late classical India. A. Mukherjee & Co.[page needed]
- ^ Sen, Amartya (2005). The Argumentative Indian. Allen Lane. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-7139-9687-6.
- ^ Thurston, Hugh (1993). Early Astronomy. New York: Springer-Verlag. ISBN 978-0-387-94107-3.[page needed][failed verification]
- ^ Bradley, Michael. The Birth of Mathematics: Ancient Times to 1300, p. 86 (Infobase Publishing 2006)
- ^ Mackenzie, Dana. The Universe in Zero Words: The Story of Mathematics as Told through Equations, p. 61 (Princeton University Press, 2012).