Public Talk: History of Mathematics in the Indian Subcontinent
The astral sciences in the Indian subcontinent—mathematics, astronomy, and related disciplines—have thrived for over two and a half millennia. This rich culture of inquiry has yielded profound insights and techniques that form the bedrock of modern scientific practices, including the base-ten decimal place value system and trigonometry. Despite India’s prolific production of millions of manuscripts over this period, a mere fraction have been identified and studied in depth. This talk will explore some of the mathematical highlights of this scientifically dynamic tradition and address the challenges faced by historians of mathematics in comprehensively accounting for the scientific legacy of this extensive and rich culture of inquiry.