A Concise History of Science in India c15.6

c15.6

| Date | Scientific and Technological Developments | Remarks |
| | *Padārthadharmasaṃgraha* of Praśastapāda; atomism, space, time, motion, sound. | Also known as *Praśastapādabhāṣya*; though a *bhāṣya* on the Vaiśeṣika categories, an independent work |
| Fifth cent. A.D. | *Āryabhaṭīya*: theory of the rotation of the earth, epicyclic theory for the planetary motions; values of π and sines; alphabetical system of expressing decimal place-value notation; extraction of square and cube roots; indeterminate equation of the first order. | Growth of the Indian decimal place-value system |
| | Metal-working; art of jewellery; Iron Pillar now at Delhi. | Made of wrought iron (99·72%) |
| | Copper statue of the Buddha from Sultanganj in Bihar (now in Birmingham Museum). | Cast in two layers |
| | Sophisticated ceramic ware. | Particularly on the Indo-Gangetic plains |
| Sixth cent. A.D. | *Pañcasiddhāntikā* of Varāhamihira—the five *siddhāntas*: *Saura*, *Pauliśa*, *Romaka*, *Brāhma* and *Paitāmaha*; concept of *mahāyuga* (4,320,000 years); notion of the libration of the equinoxes in the *Sūryasiddhānta*. | The *Sūryasiddhānta* considered as the best and the most accurate |
| | *Bṛhat Saṃhitā* of Varāhamihira—a number of chemical processes; plant and animal classifications. | Encyclopaedic work |
| | *Amarakośa*: classification and synonyms of plants and animals, minerals and metals. | Lexicon |
| | Buddhist logic and Jaina views. | Problem of matter elucidated |
| Seventh–eighth cent. A.D. | Brahmagupta—astronomer and mathematician: *Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta* and *Khaṇḍakhādyaka*; lemma for solution of the indeterminate equation of the second order; formula for the sum of *n* terms of Arithmetic progression; rules for the volume of a prism; area of the cyclic quadrilateral, etc. | Both translated into Arabic in the eighth cent. A.D., under the titles *Sindhind* and *Arkand* |