FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33  
34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   >>   >|  
; figuris.[41] "This boke is called the boke of algorim or augrym after lewder use. And this boke tretys of the Craft of Nombryng, the quych crafte is called also Algorym. Ther was a kyng of Inde the quich heyth Algor & he made this craft.... Algorisms, in the quych we use teen figurys of Inde." * * * * * {12} CHAPTER II EARLY HINDU FORMS WITH NO PLACE VALUE While it is generally conceded that the scientific development of astronomy among the Hindus towards the beginning of the Christian era rested upon Greek[42] or Chinese[43] sources, yet their ancient literature testifies to a high state of civilization, and to a considerable advance in sciences, in philosophy, and along literary lines, long before the golden age of Greece. From the earliest times even up to the present day the Hindu has been wont to put his thought into rhythmic form. The first of this poetry--it well deserves this name, being also worthy from a metaphysical point of view[44]--consists of the Vedas, hymns of praise and poems of worship, collected during the Vedic period which dates from approximately 2000 B.C. to 1400 B.C.[45] Following this work, or possibly contemporary with it, is the Brahmanic literature, which is partly ritualistic (the Br[=a]hma[n.]as), and partly philosophical (the Upanishads). Our especial interest is {13} in the S[=u]tras, versified abridgments of the ritual and of ceremonial rules, which contain considerable geometric material used in connection with altar construction, and also numerous examples of rational numbers the sum of whose squares is also a square, i.e. "Pythagorean numbers," although this was long before Pythagoras lived. Whitney[46] places the whole of the Veda literature, including the Vedas, the Br[=a]hma[n.]as, and the S[=u]tras, between 1500 B.C. and 800 B.C., thus agreeing with Buerk[47] who holds that the knowledge of the Pythagorean theorem revealed in the S[=u]tras goes back to the eighth century B.C. The importance of the S[=u]tras as showing an independent origin of Hindu geometry, contrary to the opinion long held by Cantor[48] of a Greek origin, has been repeatedly emphasized in recent literature,[49] especially since the appearance of the important work of Von Schroeder.[50] Further fundamental mathematical notions such as the conception of irrationals and the use of gnomons, as well as the philosophical doctrine of the transmigration of souls,--all of
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33  
34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

literature

 
origin
 
numbers
 

called

 
Pythagorean
 
partly
 
philosophical
 

considerable

 

numerous

 

construction


square
 

squares

 

connection

 

rational

 
examples
 
ritualistic
 

Upanishads

 

Brahmanic

 

contemporary

 
Following

possibly
 

especial

 

interest

 

geometric

 
material
 

ceremonial

 

versified

 
abridgments
 

ritual

 
recent

important
 

appearance

 

emphasized

 

repeatedly

 

opinion

 
Cantor
 

Schroeder

 

gnomons

 

irrationals

 
doctrine

transmigration

 

conception

 

Further

 

fundamental

 
mathematical
 

notions

 

contrary

 
geometry
 

including

 

agreeing