Science & technology

Birth of Aryabhata

476 CE

Aryabhata was born in 476 CE in Pataliputra. An Indian mathematician and astronomer, Aryabhata wrote the Aryabhatiya, a concise text on mathematics and astronomy composed in Sanskrit verse. It covers arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry, and spherical geometry, and gives an approximation of pi that is remarkably accurate for its time. In astronomy he explained that the apparent daily motion of the stars is due to the rotation of the Earth, and he correctly described the cause of eclipses as shadows, not demons. He is thought to have worked at Kusumapura, probably near Patna. India's first satellite, launched in 1975, was named Aryabhata in his honor.

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This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 5th century.