Indian Mathematics
By Samantha Kreeb
Indian Mathematical Discoveries / Advances
Aryabhata is a very important person in the discovery of many thing that help the whole world. He worked on the place value system of using letters. He used these letters to signify numbers and state qualities. Aryabhata also discoverered the position of nine planets and that they revolve around the sun, and that there are 365 days. Brahmagupta was also signifigent, with his introduction to 0, which stands for nothing in the mathematical world. Finally, C.R. Rao, a statistician, is famous for his ¨theory of estimation¨. All of these discoveries help with the mathematical education all across india, and have helped contribute to other countries all over the world. The video below will help with your understanding of India's culture and therefore there contributions and how we take them for granted. Please watch video from start to one minute seven seconds.
Ancient India's Contributions to the World (Full Documentary)
History of Mathematical Education in India
Believe it or not, Indian mathematics actually started in South Asia. The earliest evidence of Indian teaching techniques actually shows in South Asian civilizations, from 1,500 B.C.! Evidence, like their tools they use for learning, shows the Indian mathematical techniques spreading across the whole country before even hitting India.
Indian Careers in Mathematics
In India, mathematical job oppritunities range from being a teacher to earning your P.H.D., it really just depends on what you are interetsed in. Some of the job opportunities are much like ours, but some of them are a little different. Many of the jobs in India that require mathematical knowledge are an operations research analyst, mathematician, chartered accountant, software angineers, and a computer systems analyst, where here in the U.S. we think of becoming surgeons or civil engineers. Read down below to get a better sense for three of these careers in India.
Banking
In India, many banking posistions include handling money, or being at the counter. Basically, you can work anywhere in banking. Since banks provide loans for various developtment work and for setting up a buisness, they then generate thousands and thousands of jobs in their practice.
Chartered Accountant
A chartered accountant is somebody who specializes in auditing, taxation, and, of course, accounting. With the rapid economic growth of this country, this becomes one of the highest paying and most rewarding careers.
Software Engineer
Software engineers design and develope software. They are the people responsible for testing the software to make sure it is working before they sell it to consumers. This can also be a very fufilling job in the mathematical field.
Indian Mathematical Tradition
There is a long and very ancient Indian mathematical tradition. What holds a lot of geometrical results and constructions is know as the Sulvasutras, Vedic texts for the construction of ritual altars. That include the following, a statement for the Pythagoras Theorem, an approximation of the number pi, and the ratio of a diameter of a circle to its circumference. This mathematical tradition of the Sulvasutras, Vedic texts for the construction of ritual altars has helped India with helping the world, with its many innovative discoveries.
Why Math is Such a Priority in India
Like you saw for the History of Mathematical Education in India topic, the schooling in India is very poor in general. You, or at least I, would never guess that the kids in this (look to your left) learning environment would grow up to be doctors, but the dedicated teachers make sure they do something important when they grow up. Math is such a priority in India because the teachers believe if they are taught well enough, that those kids can change the world someday. As you can see, math in India in general is very different than ours, but still very the same in some ways as well. I hope this helped with your understanding of Indian culture, traditions, discoveries, and overall mathematical education as well.