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Karaṇapaddhati of Putumana Somayājī

Karaṇapaddhati of Putumana Somayājī
Catalogue Information
Field name Details
Dewey Class 510.9
Title Karaṇapaddhati of Putumana Somayājī ([EBook]) / by Venketeswara Pai, K. Ramasubramanian, M.S. Sriram, M.D. Srinivas.
Author Pai, Venketeswara
Added Personal Name Ramasubramanian, Krishnamurthi , 1969-
Sriram, Mankal Shankar
Srinivas, M.D.
Other name(s) SpringerLink (Online service)
Publication Singapore : Springer Singapore , 2018.
Physical Details XLVIII, 450 pages : online resource.
Series Sources and studies in the history of mathematics and physical sciences 2196-8810
ISBN 9789811068140
Summary Note Karaṇapaddhati of Putumana Somayājī is an important text of the Kerala School of astronomy and mathematics, probably composed in the 16th century. In the Indian astronomical tradition, the karaṇa texts are essentially computational manuals and they often display a high level of ingenuity in coming up with simplified algorithms for computing planetary longitudes and other related quantities. Karaṇapaddhati, however, is not a karaṇa text. Rather, it discusses the paddhati or the rationale for arriving at suitable algorithms that are needed while preparing a karaṇa text for a given epoch. Thus the work is addressed not to the almanac maker but to the manual maker. Karaṇapaddhati presents the theoretical basis for the vākya system, where the true longitudes of the planet are calculated directly by making use of certain auxiliary notions such as the khaṇḍa, maṇḍala and dhruva along with tabulated values of changes in the true longitude over certain regular intervals which are expressed in the form vākyas or mnemonic phrases. The text also discusses the method of vallyupasaṃhāra which is essentially a technique of continued fraction expansion for obtaining optimal approximations to the rates of motion of planets and their anomalies, involving ratios of smaller numbers. It also presents a new fast convergent series for π which is not mentioned in the earlier works of the Kerala School. As this is a unique text presenting the rationale behind the vākya system and the computational procedures used in the karaṇa texts, it would serve as a useful companion for all those interested in the history of astronomy. The authors have provided a translation of the text followed by detailed notes which explain all the computational procedures, along with their rationale, by means of diagrams and equations.:
Contents note Chapter 1. Mean planets and the śakābdasaṃskāra -- Chapter 2. Obtaining smaller guṇas and hāras -- Chapter 3. Computation of the khaṇḍa, dhruva, etc. of the Moon -- Chapter 4. Obtaining the hārakas for the planets -- Chapter 5. Examination of the revolution numbers etc -- Chapter 6. Relation between the circumference and the diameter and computation of Rsines -- Chapter 7. Obtaining the planetary longitudes -- Chapter 8. Gnomonic shadow -- Chapter 9. Ascendent at the meridian transit -- Chapter 10. Obtaining the Right Ascension, etc.
System details note Online access to this digital book is restricted to subscription institutions through IP address (only for SISSA internal users)
Internet Site http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6814-0
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