Kuttaka: Mathematical Elegance from Ancient India
Take a broad look at the Mathematics developed by the early Indian mathematicians/ astronomers, and dive deep into the Kuttaka method used to solve indeterminate equations with multiple solutions- the most elegant and effective method to do so, even today.
Starts
17 June 2020
Time
On Days
Fee (₹, incl taxes)
Audience
About the Course
(This course is intended for Math enthusiasts Grade 9 and above i.e. high school students and grown-ups of any age)
In high school we learn to solve linear algebraic equations of one or two or three variables. We also learn to solve quadratic equations in one variable. We don’t learn solving indeterminate equations, which have multiple solutions.
A classic example of the above problem in what is known as Chinese Remainder Theorem, which is posed as follows: Find a number N which leaves a remainder 3 when divided by 7 and a remainder 1 when divided by 9. The most comprehensive generalised algorithm to solve such a problem was given by Aryabhata, in the 6th century CE. The solution method is known as Kuttaka.
These problems occur naturally in Astronomy and that is why the Indian mathematicians/astronomers were looking to solve them. For example, in a particular case of finding the number of days and the revolutions performed by the Sun, the following equation
y= (576x-86638)/ 210389
has to be solved for x, y as positive integers. It can be shown that the above astronomy problem and the remainder problem are one and the same. They end up in similar looking equations. To this day, Aryabhata’s method of solving them is the most elegant and efficient available.
We will take a broad look at the Mathematics developed by the early Indian mathematicians and then study the above problem in depth. We will solve such problems using modular arithmetic and then move to Aryabhata’s kuttaka algorithm.
Learn more about our expert course facilitator, Dr. Badri Seshadri, here.
About our Facilitator:
Rachit is an electronics engineer who has been designing analog circuits for the past decade. His work experience includes Cosmic Circuits and Cadence Design Systems (which acquired Cosmic Circuits), on the design of integrated circuits for audio codecs, serial interfaces, and phase locked loops amongst other things. He likes to spend his time on reading, understanding audio, building speakers, music, and sports.
Rachit has a Masters degree from the Centre For Electronic Design And Technology at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
Muralidhar (aka Murali) is senior mentor and course designer at GenWise with 20+ years of experience in the social sector. In addition to delivering Vocational Training to young adults, he is currently responsible for design, manufacturing and marketing operations at a traditional handicraft (wooden toys) enterprise near Bengaluru. Murali has also delivered training and professional development programs for secondary science teachers and 'making' skills to "gifted students" for around 4 years.
Murali has a bachelor's degree in Engineering from IIT Madras.