CCC 101 - Mathematics in India

Syllabus for CCC 101 – Mathematics in India

Credits (Lec:Tut:Lab) = 1.5:0:0 (3 lectures weekly over a half-semester)

Prerequisites: None

Overview: Mathematics had a rich history in ancient and medieval India. Indian mathematicians made original contributions to algebra, number theory and geometry; while the Kerala school made fundamental discoveries related to differential calculus and infinite series two centuries before their full development by Newton and Leibniz. This course will provide an overview of the story of mathematics in India, and also incorporate the social context and the connections with other civilizations.

Detailed Syllabus: Issues of dating, translation and interpretation; prehistory; the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Iraq, China and America; Indus Valley Civilization; Mathematics in the Vedas and Puranas; Pythagoras theorem; Applications to grammar, logic, astronomy and technology; Medieval mathematicians and schools of mathematics; Universities; Invention of Zero; Trigonometry; Rates of change; π; Connections with Greece, China and the Arabs; The Kerala school.

Assessment:

Assignments	20%
Class Performance	10%
Term Paper	40%
Presentation	30%

References:

1. Mathematics in India by Kim Plofker, Princeton University Press.
2. Studies in the History of Indian Mathematics by C S Seshadri (ed.), Hindustan Book Agency.
3. Contributions to the History of Indian Mathematics by Gerard G Emch et al (ed.), Hindustan Book Agency.
4. History of Mathematics by Carl B Boyer and Uta C Merzbach, Wiley.