Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Westen Cultures

Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Westen Cultures
Author: Helaine Selin
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 1140
Release: 2013-11-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 9401714169

The Encyclopaedia fills a gap in both the history of science and in cultural stud ies. Reference works on other cultures tend either to omit science completely or pay little attention to it, and those on the history of science almost always start with the Greeks, with perhaps a mention of the Islamic world as a trans lator of Greek scientific works. The purpose of the Encyclopaedia is to bring together knowledge of many disparate fields in one place and to legitimize the study of other cultures' science. Our aim is not to claim the superiority of other cultures, but to engage in a mutual exchange of ideas. The Western aca demic divisions of science, technology, and medicine have been united in the Encyclopaedia because in ancient cultures these disciplines were connected. This work contributes to redressing the balance in the number of reference works devoted to the study of Western science, and encourages awareness of cultural diversity. The Encyclopaedia is the first compilation of this sort, and it is testimony both to the earlier Eurocentric view of academia as well as to the widened vision of today. There is nothing that crosses disciplinary and geographic boundaries, dealing with both scientific and philosophical issues, to the extent that this work does. xi PERSONAL NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Many years ago I taught African history at a secondary school in Central Africa.

India and Iran in Contemporary Relations

India and Iran in Contemporary Relations
Author: R. Sidda Goud
Publisher: Allied Publishers
Total Pages: 254
Release: 2014-04-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 8184249098

This edited book is an outcome of the International Conference on ‘India and Iran in Contemporary Relations’, organized by the Centre for Indian Ocean Studies, Osmania University in cooperation with the Iran Consulate General at Hyderabad in India in November 2013. The book addresses the India-Iran bilateral relations dating back to the beginning of the Indo-Aryan civilization in the 7th Century B.C. to the current global controversy over the Iranian nuclear programme and India’s stand on the issue of sanctions imposed by the United States. The book highlights besides economic and commercial ties, the strong cultural relations. The volume analyses in depth the new areas of cooperation and conflict, the extra regional powers, energy and nuclear security and economic and trade cooperation. This book will be of considerable interest to students and scholars of international relations, sociology, politics and economics.

Zero and Pi

Zero and Pi
Author: Amalkumar Mukhopadhyay
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2023
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9819930723

Zusammenfassung: The book, divided into two major parts, discusses the evolution of the concept and symbols of zero and the history of pi. Both the topics are discussed from the Neolithic Age to the nineteenth century. The book also clears the assumption that Johann Heinrich Lambert (AD 1761) only invented the irrationality of pi by crediting Lambert jointly with André Marie Legendre (AD 1794). Part 1, consisting of six stages spread in six chapters, meets a challenge to the authors as eminent scholars of the history of mathematics have diverse opinions based on conjectures. This part primarily discusses how the symbol O, in the Vedic religious practices, considered a replica of the universe prescribed for meditation on the unknown Brahman (conceived of as the space supreme in the Upanishads), was later transcended to the symbol of an unknown quantity in mathematics along with a dot for zero in an arena of atheism. It also highlights how the zero notation and the decimal system of Indian numerals embellished with the algebraic thoughts of Brahmagupta passed on to China and Europe via Arabia. Topics in this part have traced the development from the origin to the final form as seen today after the western practice and try to put an end to the long-standing debate over history. Appendices contain the Sanskrit verses (transliterated with meanings into English) along with the essential mathematical deduction referred to in the body of the part to help the reader to have a better understanding. Part 2 speaks of a novel idea of unveiling the nature of pi interwoven with threads of historical ups and downs in the world scenario. This part, containing five chapters, collects all available up-to-date data in every field of history to make the presentation complete in all respects. This part discusses the origin of the definition of pi as the rim of a wheel is thrice its diameter at the Indus Valley in the fourth millennium BC. This part also discusses the enlightenment of China in circle-squaring (classical method), Indian mathematics with astronomical knowledge along the Buddhist channel, and India's discovering circumference/diameter as a non-Euclidean number

The Vitality of India

The Vitality of India
Author: Gopal Krishan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 424
Release: 2004
Genre: India
ISBN:

Papers presented at the International Conference on the Vitality of India in the Regional and International Perspectives, held at Chandigarh 23rd June, Shimla 24-27 June and New Delhi on 28th June 2004.

Astronomy in the Ancient World

Astronomy in the Ancient World
Author: Alexus McLeod
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 235
Release: 2016-06-17
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319236008

Alexus McLeod explores every aspect of the lesser-known history of astronomy in the Americas (Mesoamerica and North America), China and India, each through the frame of a particular astronomical phenomena. Part One considers the development of astronomy in the Americas as a response, in part, to the Supernova of 1054, which may have led to a cultural renaissance in astronomy. He then goes on to explore the contemporary understanding of supernovae, contrasting it with that of the ancient Americas. Part Two is framed through the appearances of great comets, which had major divinatory significance in early China. The author discusses the advancement of observational astronomy in China, its influence on politics and its role in the survival or failure of empires. Furthermore, the contemporary understanding of comets is also discussed for comparison. Part Three, on India, considers the magnificent observatories of the Rajput king Jai Singh II, and the question of their purpose. The origins of Indian astronomy are examined in Vedic thought and its development is followed through the period of Jai Singh, including the role played by solar eclipses. The author also includes a modern explanation of our understanding of eclipses to date. In the final section of the book, McLeod discusses how ancient traditions might help modern civilization better understand Earth’s place in the cosmos.

Indo-Iran Relations

Indo-Iran Relations
Author: N. S. Gorekar
Publisher: Bombay : Sindhu Publications
Total Pages: 244
Release: 1970
Genre: India
ISBN:

The Mathematics of India

The Mathematics of India
Author: P. P. Divakaran
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 441
Release: 2018-09-19
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9811317747

This book identifies three of the exceptionally fruitful periods of the millennia-long history of the mathematical tradition of India: the very beginning of that tradition in the construction of the now-universal system of decimal numeration and of a framework for planar geometry; a classical period inaugurated by Aryabhata’s invention of trigonometry and his enunciation of the principles of discrete calculus as applied to trigonometric functions; and a final phase that produced, in the work of Madhava, a rigorous infinitesimal calculus of such functions. The main highlight of this book is a detailed examination of these critical phases and their interconnectedness, primarily in mathematical terms but also in relation to their intellectual, cultural and historical contexts. Recent decades have seen a renewal of interest in this history, as manifested in the publication of an increasing number of critical editions and translations of texts, as well as in an informed analytic interpretation of their content by the scholarly community. The result has been the emergence of a more accurate and balanced view of the subject, and the book has attempted to take an account of these nascent insights. As part of an endeavour to promote the new awareness, a special attention has been given to the presentation of proofs of all significant propositions in modern terminology and notation, either directly transcribed from the original texts or by collecting together material from several texts.

Numbers

Numbers
Author: Robert Kiely
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 381
Release: 2022-08-04
Genre: History
ISBN:

Numbers: A Cultural History provides students with a compelling interdisciplinary view of the development of mathematics and its relationship to world cultures over 4,500 years of human history. Mathematics is often referred to as a "universal language," and that is a fitting description. Many cultures have contributed to mathematics in fascinating ways, but despite its "universal" character, mathematics is also a human endeavor. It has played pivotal roles in societies at particular times; and it has influenced, and been influenced by, a wide range of ideas and institutions, from commerce to philosophy. Ancient Egyptian views of mathematics, for example, are tied closely to engineering and agriculture. Some European Renaissance views, on the other hand, relate the study of number to that of the natural world. Numbers, A Cultural History seeks to place the history of mathematics into a broad cultural context. While it treats mathematical material in detail, it also relates that material to other subject matter: science, philosophy, navigation, commerce, religion, art, and architecture. It examines how mathematical thinking grows in specific cultural settings and how it has shaped those settings in turn. It also explores the movement of ideas between cultures and the evolution of modern mathematics and the quantitative, data-driven world in which we live.

A Survey of Islamic Astronomical Tables

A Survey of Islamic Astronomical Tables
Author: Edward Stewart Kennedy
Publisher: American Philosophical Society
Total Pages: 82
Release: 1956
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780871694621

The source material for the study of medieval oriental astronomy consists of Byzantine Greek, Sanscrit, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, and Turkish astronomical and astrological manuscripts. If one desires to build up a detailed picture of Islamic astronomy, one can choose material from these available manuscripts. Of these manuscripts it is possible to isolate a group of works, the "zijes". A "zij" consists of the numerical tables and accompanying explanation sufficient to measure time and to compute planetary and stellar positions, appearance, and eclipses. This paper is a survey of the number, distribution, contents, and relations between "zijes" written in Arabic or Persian during the period from the 8th through the 15th centuries. Illustrations. Oversize.