Sourcebook on Indic Contributions in Math and Science

This sourcebook will consist primarily of reprinted articles on Indic contributions in math and science, as well as several new essays to contextualize these works. It will bring together the works of top scholars which are currently scattered thoughout disparate journals, and will thus make them far more accessible to the average reader.

There are two main reasons why this sourcebook is being assembled. First, it is our hope that by highlighting the work of ancient and medieval Indian scientists we might challenge the stereotype that Indian thought is "mystical" and "irrational". Secondly, by pointing out the numerous achievements of Indian scientists, we hope to show that India had a scientific "renaissance" that was at least as important as the European renaissance which followed it, and which, indeed, is deeply indebted to it.

Currently, the following table of contents is proposed for this volume:

1. Editors' Introduction (Subhash Kak)

Section 1: Mathematics

2. D. Gray, 2000. Indic Mathematics etc.

3. Joseph, George Ghevarughese. 1987. "Foundations of Eurocentrism in Mathematics". In Race & Class 28.3, pp. 13-28.

4. A. Seidenberg, 1978. The origin of Mathematics. Archive for History of Exact Sciences 18.4, pp. 301-42.

5. Frits Staal, 1965. Euclid and Panini. Philosophy East and West 15.2, pp. 99-116.

6. Subhash Kak, 2000. Indian binary numbers and the Katapayadi notation. ABORI, 81.

7. Subhash Kak, 1990. The sign for zero. Mankind Quarterly, 30, pp. 199-204.

8. C.-O. Selenius, 1975. Rationale of the chakravala process of Jayadeva and Bhaskara II. Historia Mathematica, 2, pp. 167-184.

9. K.V. Sarma, 1972. Anticipation of modern mathematical discoveries by Kerala astronomers. In A History of the Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy. Hoshiarpur: Vishveshvaranand Institute.

Section 2: Science, General

10. Staal, Frits. 1995. "The Sanskrit of Science". In Journal of Indian Philosophy 23, pp. 73-127.

11. Subbarayappa, B. V. 1970. "India's Contributions to the History of Science". In Lokesh Chandra, et al., eds. India's Contribution to World Thought and Culture. Madras: Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee, pp. 47-66.

12. Saroja Bhate and Subhash Kak, 1993. Panini's grammar and computer science. ABORI, 72, pp. 79-94.

Section 3: Astronomy

13. Subhash Kak, 1992. The astronomy of the Vedic altars and the Rgveda. Mankind Quarterly, 33, pp. 43-55.

14. Subhash Kak, 1995. The astronomy of the age of geometric altars. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, 36, pp. 385-395.

15. Subhash Kak, 1996. Knowledge of planets in the third millennium BC. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society, 37, pp. 709-715.

16. Subhash Kak, 1998. Early theories on the distance to the sun. Indian Journal of History of Science, 33, pp. 93-100.

17. B.N. Narahari Achar, 1998. Enigma of the five-year yuga of Vedanga Jyotisa, Indian Journal of History of Science, 33, pp. 101-109.

18. B.N. Narahari Achar, 2000. On the astronomical basis of the date of Satapatha Brahmana, Indian Journal of History of Science, 35, pp. 1-19.

19. B.L. van der Waerden, 1980. Two treatises on Indian astronomy, Journal for History of Astronomy 11, pp.50-58.

20. K. Ramasubramanian, M.D. Srinivas, M.S. Sriram, 1994. Modification of the earlier Indian planetary theory by the Kerala astronomers (c. 1500 AD) and the implied heliocentric picture of planetary motion. Current Science, 66, pp. 784-790.