Question

Collect information about the contribution of Brahmagupta to astronomy.

Answer 1

Brahmagupta – (598-668 CE):

1. Brahmagupta was an Indian mathematician and astronomer. He wrote some important works on both mathematics and astronomy.
2. His most famous work is “Brahmasphutasiddanta”.
3. Brahmagupta explained how to find the cube and cube root.
4. He was the earliest known mathematician to treat zero as a number in its own right.
5. He dedicated a substantial portion of his work to geometry and trigonometry
6. He explains that since the Moon is closer to the Earth than the Sun, the degree of the illuminated part of the moon depends on the relative position of the sun and the moon. This can be computed from the size of the angle between the bodies.
7. In his treatise, Khandakhadyaka explored the longitudes of the planets, diurnal rotation, lunar and solar eclipses, rising and settings, etc.