The Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus c5.s7.2

c5.s7.2

Motion, we have seen, was defined as the change of position of a particle in space. To conceive position in space, Vâchaspati takes three axes, and the position in space of one particle relatively to another may be indicated by distances measured along these three axes. This remarkable analysis (*circa* 842 A.D. : वस्वङ्कवसुवत्सरे, Vâchaspati, Nyâyasûchînibandha) anticipates in a rudimentary manner the foundations of solid (co-ordinate) geometry, eight centuries before Descartes (*vide* p. 118, *supra*).