Mathematics in Ancient and Medieval India c8.189

c8.189

How the Indian values of R or *Sinus Totus* have been fixed up is not known. Āryabhaṭa I in connection with the verses on instruments made a reference to a circle of radius 57 degrees besides others. Pṛthūdakasvāmī advised to draw a circle of radius 3270 *aṅgulas* with a pair of compass. This appears to be physically impossible if we consider 1 *aṅgula* = 3/4 inches roughly. It may be presumed that the Indian values of R were perhaps obtained from the relation R=C/(2π), where C= circumference = 360 degrees = 21600 minutes.