History of Hindu Mathematics: A Source Book v1.c8.s1.1

v1.c8.s1.1

**Terminology and Scope.** Arithmetic forms the major part of the Hindu works on *pâṭîgaṇita*. The word *pâṭîgaṇita* is a compound formed from the words *pâṭî*, meaning "board," and *gaṇita*, meaning "science of calculation;" hence it means the science of calculation which requires the use of writing material (the board).¹ It is believed that this term originated in a non-Sanskrit literature of India, a vernacular of Northern India. The oldest Sanskrit term for the board is *phalaka* or *paṭṭa*, not *pâṭî*. The word *pâṭî* seems to have entered into Sanskrit literature about the beginning of the seventh century A.D.² The carrying out of mathematical calculations was sometimes called *dhûlî-karma* ("dust-work"), because the figures were written on dust spread on a board or on the ground. Some later writers have used the term *vyakta-gaṇita* ("the science of calculation by the 'known'") for *pâṭîgaṇita* to distinguish it from algebra which was called *avyakta-gaṇita* ("the science of calculation by the 'unknown'"). The terms *pâṭîgaṇita* and *dhûlî-karma* were translated into Arabic when Sanskrit works were rendered into that language. The Arabic equivalents are *ilm-hisâb-al-takht* ("the science of calculation on the board") and *hisâb-al-ghobâr* ("calculation on dust") respectively.