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Vol. 15, No. 4, 2003, 53-73
ARHAT VACANA
Kundakunda Jinapitna, Indore THEORIES OF INDICES AND LOGARITHMS
IN INDIA FROM JAINA SOURCES*
Dipak Jadhav
ABSTRACT
This paper shows that the Jaina school of Indian mathematics developed theory of indices in requisite structure through certain ideas such as square, cube, successive squaring. act of lifting a number to its own power etc. The similar case is with Jain theory of logarithms. The laws of indices had been transformed into the laws of logarithms in India at least six centuries earlier than in abroad.
1. INTRODUCTION
The Jaina school of Indian mathematics attached great importance and took keen interest in the study of indices and logarithms. Amongst its vast literature those that are found as sources from this point of view are the Ullaradhyayana-sutra (300 B.C. or earlier), Bhagavali sutra (300 B.C.), Anuyogadvara-sutra (2-5th century A.D.), Tiloyapannati of Yativṛṣabha (some date between 473 A.D. and 609 A.D.), Pafiganita of Sridhara (c. 799 A.D.), Dhavala commentary of Virasena (c. 816 A.D.) on the Satkhandagama of Puspadanta and Bhutabali (1-2nd century A.D.), Ganita-sara-samgraha of Mahavira (c. 850 A.D.), Jambu-diva-pannatti-sangaho of Padmanandi (c. 977 A.D.), Gommaṭasara-Jivakanda and Trilokasära of Nemicandra (c. 981 A.D.) and so forth.
The present paper is aimed at
[a] making a special study on subject in hand,
[b] presenting its critical assessment and
**
[c] creating an awareness in the mind of young mathematics students that subject in hand is not merely an amalgation of techniques and rules but is a growing organism.
In this connection, the articles of B.B. Datta (pp. 29-30), H.R. Kapadia (pp. 24-25), A.N. Singh (pp. 5-8 and 11-12), L.C. Jain (1958, pp. 22 and 54-62, 1976, pp. 86-92 and 1982, pp. 28-30 and p. 51), C.N. Srinivasiengar (pp. 24-25), T.A. Sarasvathiamma (p. 64), M.B.L. Agrawal (pp. 79-82 and 88). A.K. Bag (pp. 54-56), N.C. Jain Shastri (pp. 364-366), H.B. Jain
Jain Education International
Except for a few minor changes, this paper was presented in International Conference on History of Mathematical Sciences, held during December 20-23, 2001 at Delhi. ** Lecturer in Mathematics, J.N. Govt. Model H.S. (Residential) School, Barwani-451 551 India.
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