The Indic Mathematical tradition - Indic Studies Foundation

The Indic Mathematical
tradition
The armillary sphere
depicts the way the ancients saw the universe,as
they gazed at the sky. Armillary spheres have
concentric rings to indicate planetary orbits, the
zodiac band of constellations, and terrestrial and
celestial measurement circles such as the Tropics of
Cancer and Capricorn and the equator. Sometimes
they are mounted with an orrery inside. Sometimes
they are mounted as garden sundials.
A Ptolemaic armillary sphere has an earth globe at
the center, surrounded by celestial circle and zodiac
armillary rings, demonstrating the geocentric theory
of the universe developed by Ptolemy and others in
ancient Greece and Rome. The latest view is that
Ptolemy was certainly not the first or the only oneto
develop a calculation algorithm based on a
geocentric model. The Indics were already there, no
pun intended, as were probably the Chinese
11/16/2006 ©Kosla Vepa 35