Circle

10th October 2016

A circle and its sides

Mathematics defines a circle as a round plane figure whose boundary comprises of points at equal distance from a fixed point. Its boundary makes its circumference and the fixed point is the centre. There have been arguments that a circle is actually a polygon consisting of infinite number of sides. Geometrically, a polygon is a closed plane figure having three or more sides that are all straight. A polygon will therefore definitely have ‘corners’. From this perspective, a circle cannot be a polygon as it has no identifiable corners.

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Baudhayana

22nd September 2016

Baudhayana: The man who discovered ‘pi’

Ancient Indian mathematician Baudhayana is perhaps the first person to calculate the value of ‘pi’. In his text Baudhayana Shulba Sutra, he mentions that the perimeter of the pit is thrice its diameter, so the approximate value of π is 3.

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4th July 2016

Ancient Indians’ contributions to mathematics

Indians have made significant contributions to calculus, trigonometry and algebra. The decimal system was invented in India in 100 B.C. The concept of zero as a number is also attributed to India. The ancient Indian mathematicians are also credited with developing the concept of negative numbers.

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18th March 2016

Count up to 1023 just by using your fingers

It is possible to count up to 1023 just by using the fingers of two hands. By applying Binary system it is possible to count up to 1023 just by using the fingers of two hands. It employs two digits, 0 and 1. If a finger or a thumb standing up indicates ‘1’ and standing down indicates ‘0’, then all fingers/thumbs standing up will indicate 1111111111, whose decimal system equivalent is

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