Contents
Aryabhata
Developing influential mathematical and astronomical methods in the Aryabhatiya.
Pi approximation · Sine table
- Born
- 476
- Birthplace
- Ancient India; exact birthplace uncertain
- Died
- 550
More people
Aryabhata
Aryabhata was an Indian mathematician and astronomer active around the turn of the sixth century.
Early life
Limited biography
His own text supplies an age from which a birth year is inferred.
Kusumapura
Was associated with this scholarly centre, commonly identified with Pataliputra.
Career
- Late 5th century
Mathematical study
Developed work in the Indian astronomical tradition.
- 499
Aryabhatiya
The text places its author at age twenty-three in this year.
- Later centuries
Commentary tradition
His methods were explained and debated by later scholars.
Contributions
Pi approximation
Gave a close numerical approximation to the circle constant.
Sine table
Presented methods useful for astronomical calculation.
Earth’s rotation
Explained apparent stellar motion through Earth’s rotation.
Legacy
Surviving evidence
Much personal information about him remains uncertain.
Namesake
India’s first satellite was named Aryabhata.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Photo: Cpjha13. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
