ARYABHATA I

born 476, Kusumapura, India died c. 550 astronomer and the earliest Hindu mathematician whose work and history are available to modern scholars. He was one of the first known to use algebra. In 499 he finished the Aryabhatiya, written in verse couplets and summarizing mathematics as known in his time. Most of this work deals with astronomy and spherical trigonometry; the remainder consists of 33 rules in arithmetic, algebra, and plane trigonometry. Perhaps its most important feature is the treatment of indeterminate equations by the application of continued fractionssubstantially the modern method. Aryabhata gave an accurate approximation for pi (p), 3.1416, and introduced the versed sine function (that is, 1 minus the cosine of an angle) into trigonometry. He also taught that the apparent rotation of the heavens was attributable to the rotation of the Earth on its axis.