5 science concepts that ancient India introduced the world to
Albert Einstein once said, “The ancient Indians taught us how to count, and we owe them a lot without which it would not have been practical to make most recent scientific discoveries.” We couldn’t agree more with this. Before modern laboratories were built, India made significant contributions to science and technology! You probably already know of zero and the decimal system. But there are many more concepts that India introduced to the world and several significant contributions from ancient India are still in use today! Let us find out about a few of them.
Ruler measurements
Do you know that ruler measurements were discovered in India? Yes you read that right. You may have read about the Harrapan civilisation (3300 to 1300 BCE) in your history books. The remains of rulers or linear measurements made of ivory and shell were found during excavations at Harappan sites. What’s more, their accuracy was unquestionable. The marking of calibrations was precise to the millimetre-level subdivisions! Even ancient bricks discovered at these sites had measurements that matched the units on these rulers. Additionally, they matched the hasta increments of 1 3/8 inches (1.375 inches) parameters suggested in ancient South Indian architecture!
Theory of atoms
Kanad was a prominent scientist in ancient India who was credited with developing the atomic hypothesis even before John Dalton, the English chemist best known for introducing atomic theory, was born (1766). Kanad hypothesised the existence of ‘anu’, or tiny indestructible particles such as atoms. According to him, ‘anu’ could exist in two states: Complete rest and motion. He also claimed that ‘tryanuka’ (triatomic molecules) and ‘dvyanuka’ (diatomic molecules) are created when identical material atoms (monoatomic) bond with one another in a precise and coordinated manner. Although you will find these postulates in Dalton’s atomic theory in your chemistry books, you know who discovered them first!
Binary system
You know the computer understands a different language than the ones we use. The basic language used to write computer programmes includes binary digits. It refers to a collection of integers 1 and 0. The combinations are referred to as bits and bytes. The first known Sanskrit prosody treatise (the study of poetic metres and verse), Chandahstra, was written by the Vedic scholar Pingala. And it is this book that originally introduced the binary number system to the world.
Chakravala method of algorithms
Some of you might love maths, while for some, it might be a nightmare! Now, we will tell you about a discovery that has made solving mathematical equations easier. The chakravala technique is a cyclic algorithm for solving indeterminate quadratic equations like Pell. One of the famous mathematicians of the 7th century CE, Brahmagupta, invented this technique for finding integer solutions. Later on, another mathematician named Jayadeva expanded this approach for various equations. Subsequently, another mathematics wizard, Bhaskara II, further improved it in his Bijaganita treatise in the 12th century.
Smelting of zinc
Nowadays, smelting is widely used in the extraction process of a metal from its ore (impure state.) But do you know which country started smelting zinc? India! In 12th-century India, zinc was smelted using a innovative distillation method, which involves the reduction of metal oxides to obtain pure metal. The world’s first known ancient zinc smelting site is Zawar, located in the Tiri valley of Rajasthan. Other countries had also attempted this. For example, ancient Persians tried reducing zinc oxide in an open furnace but failed. India has made a significant contribution to metallurgy by inventing the distillation process for zinc.