The Silk Road carried spices, gemstones, ideas... and, occasionally, trigonometry.

In this episode of The Mathematicians Podcast, we follow the mysterious figure known as Yavanesvara, the "Lord of the Greeks," whose translation of Greek astronomical and astrological knowledge into Sanskrit helped spark a mathematical transformation in ancient India.

Along the way, we explore merchant trade across the Indian Ocean, the origins of sine tables, spherical astronomy, navigation, observational error, and the surprisingly rich mathematics hidden inside astrology. We also take a brief detour through gem shops, Roman trade deficits, and the everyday mathematics of merchants using techniques such as double false position and casting out nines.

History remembers Yavanesvara only dimly, but the mathematical journey he represents would help bridge the gap between the early Indian traditions and the age of Aryabhata.

Because sometimes the most important travellers don't carry goods; they carry ideas.

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The music was- "Danse Macabre - Finale" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

#Mathematics #HistoryOfMathematics #Yavanesvara #AncientIndia #IndianMathematics #SilkRoad #Astronomy #Trigonometry #Aryabhata #HistoryPodcast #MathsPodcast #BenjaminCornish #AncientScience #SineFunction #MathematicalHistory #IndianAstronomy

Why is a 2nd-century BCE Indian grammarian being featured on a mathematics podcast? Because centuries before the "Founding Fathers" of Western mathematics were born, Pingala was already encoding the universe.

In this special rhythmic episode, I step out of the traditional lecture hall and into the world of spoken word. After a transformative experience at the 'Beat up the Poets' conference, I will explore the Chandaḥśāstra; Pingala’s ancient treatise on prosody.

We look into how the study of Sanskrit poetic meters led to the earliest known descriptions of:

• Binary Number Systems: How stressed and unstressed syllables created a mathematical logic long before Turing.

• The Concept of Zero (Shunya): The "original gap" in the poetic flow.

• The Fibonacci Sequence: Why the "Man from Pisa" was actually a few centuries late to the party.

• Pascal’s Triangle: Uncovering the "Meru Prastāra" hidden in ancient Vedic verses.

From "off-by-one" errors to the combinatorics of rhythmic beats, this episode is a lyrical journey into the seismic foundations of ancient Indian mathematics.

Note from me:This is my final pre-recorded episode before I head off on paternity leave! Thank you all for your incredible support. I’ll be taking a short writing break to welcome the new addition to the family, but the podcast will return soon.

• Bluesky: Follow the conversation @mathematicians-pod

• Support the Paternity Leave Fund: If you enjoyed this episode, consider buying me a coffee (or a box of nappies!) on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/benjamincornish

Pingala, History of Maths, Chandaḥśāstra, Sanskrit Prosody, Binary Code, Fibonacci Sequence, Pascal’s Triangle, Combinatorics, Vedic Mathematics, Ancient India, Zero, Shunya, Benjamin Cornish.

#maths #historyofmaths #pingala #mathematicians #podcast #binary #poetry #fibonacci #ancientindia #stem #mathematics

The music was- "Danse Macabre - Finale" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In this special book club episode of 'The Mathematicians Podcast', I sit down with author, maths communicator, and museum learning consultant, Thomas K. Briggs. Join us for a glass of wine and a deep dive into Tom's book, 'The Mathematicians Library', a title so intriguing it was a must-have for the show.

This 'Injectives' sub-series episode is a one-to-one conversation; today exploring the vast history of mathematical literature. Discover the oldest book in Tom's personal collection and unravel the criteria for what truly constitutes a "book of mathematics". Tom paints a vivid picture of ancient mathematical works, describing the evolution of writing media before the age of flat sheets and ink.

The discussion navigates through the emergence of authorship in the Mediterranean, Indian, and Chinese traditions, and Tom shares his favourite example of a significant mathematical work without a known author. He also recounts the fascinating journey of a particular mathematical text through the ages, a story of translation and transcription that has preserved ancient knowledge.

In a new segment of "Desert Island Codex," Tom reveals which ancient mathematical document he would choose to study in solitude and which ancient lecture he would love to have heard.

Moving beyond the book, the episode looks into Tom's work as a museum consultant. He sheds light on the origins of encryption and the methods ancient leaders used to send secret messages. The discussion also explores the vast, untranslated collection of Babylonian tablets and what they might still reveal about Mesopotamian mathematical understanding.

Finally, Tom offers his own insightful, pithy definition of what mathematics truly is. He also reveals which mathematician he is most excited to see featured on a future episode of the podcast.

Tune in for a captivating conversation that journeys through the annals of mathematical history, from ancient texts to modern museum exhibits.

You can find Ben on Bluesky @mathematicians-pod. You can support him at ko-fi.com/benjamincornish.

You can find Tom: on his website https://tkbriggs.co.uk/ ; on Bluesky @TeaKayB.mathsy.space ; Join the History and Mathematics in Education Network https://historyand.mathsy.space/ ;

The music was- "Danse Macabre - Finale" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Keywords: history of maths, ancient mathematics, mathematical literature, Thomas K. Briggs, The Mathematicians' Library, Euclid, ancient texts, encryption, Bletchley Park, Babylonian tablets, museums, history of science, mathematics podcast.

Hashtags: #TheMathematiciansPodcast #HistoryOfMaths #AncientMaths #MathematicalBooks #STEM #Podcast #Interview #Maths #History #Science #Books #Museums #Encryption #TheMathematiciansLibrary