History of Hindu Mathematics: A Source Book v2.c17.s1.1

v2.c17.s1.1

**Name for Algebra.** The Hindu name for the science of algebra is *bîjagaṇita*. *Bîja* means "element" or "analysis" and *gaṇita* "the science of calculation." Thus *bîjagaṇita* literally means "the science of calculation with elements" or "the science of analytical calculation." The epithet dates at least as far back as the time of Pṛthûdakasvâmî (860) who used it. Brahmagupta (628) calls algebra *kuṭṭaka-gaṇita*, or simply *kuṭṭaka*.¹ The term *kuṭṭaka*, meaning "pulveriser", refers to a branch of the science of algebra dealing particularly with the subject of indeterminate equations of the first degree. It is interesting to find that this subject was considered so important by the Hindus that the whole science of algebra was named after it in the beginning of the seventh century. Algebra is also called *avyakta-gaṇita* or "the science of calculation with unknowns" (*avyakta*=unknown) in contradistinction to the name *vyakta-gaṇita* or "the science of calculation with knowns" (*vyakta*=known) for arithmetic including geometry and mensuration.