Bhaskaracharya's Lilavati: Ancient Indian Mathematics
Explore the mathematical genius of 12th-century India through Bhaskaracharya's Lilavati. Covers arithmetic, geometry, the Kuttaka method, Chakravala algorithm, and famous problems like the Peacock and the Snake. Includes historical context and comparisons with Greek and Chinese mathematics. Free download.
Bhaskaracharya was a 12th-century Indian mathematician whose work Lilavati remains one of the most elegant mathematical texts ever written. This book reconstructs the full scope of the Lilavati with modern notation while preserving the poetic problem-solving tradition of the original.
The text covers all 13 chapters of the Lilavati: definitions and basic operations, fractions, zero and negative numbers, square and cube roots, arithmetic and geometric progressions, plane and solid geometry, the shadow of the gnomon, the Kuttaka (pulverizer) method for indeterminate equations, combinations and permutations, and more.
Famous problems are solved step by step. The Beautiful Maiden’s Riddle, the Peacock and the Snake, the Bees and the Lotus, the Broken Bamboo. Each solution shows both Bhaskara’s original approach and modern methods.
The mathematical methods section covers the Rule of Three, the Kuttaka algorithm, Bhaskara’s treatment of surds, and the Chakravala method for solving Pell’s equation, which predates European solutions by several centuries.
Key Topics
- All 13 chapters of the Lilavati with detailed commentary
- 11 famous word problems with step-by-step solutions
- The Kuttaka and Chakravala algorithms
- Bhaskara’s early work on differential calculus concepts
- Comparison with Greek and Chinese mathematical traditions
- Timeline of Indian mathematics from the Sulba Sutras to Ramanujan