Mr Tim Bourke: Indian Calculus – Why Pi?
Contributed talk ❊❊❊❊❊❊❊❊
The well-documented and impressive achievements of the Kerala school of mathematics and astronomy (flourished 14th to 16th centuries CE) in calculus deserve to be much better known. We will review the history of this school and its achievements, focussing particularly on the “Yuktibhasa”, which has justifiably been called “the first textbook of calculus.” The “Calculus Without Limits” project, currently underway at ANU MSI, is studying the benefits of teaching mathematics in a more inclusive, global manner by drawing on original materials (the Yuktibhasa) and making students aware that advanced, useful, rigorous mathematical work has flourished across cultural and regional boundaries.