Wikinventia — Atlas of discoveries and inventions · Middle Age

Infinite trigonometric series — Madhava of Sangamagrama

~1350 AD · Transmission: Silenced
MathematicsMethodIndian

Madhava develops convergent infinite series for sine, cosine, and arctangent, and a series for π/4 equivalent to the Leibniz series. Precedes Newton and Leibniz in the development of pre-calculus by ~250 years. Practically ignored by the Western canon until the twentieth century.

InstitutionSangamagrama — Kerala (present-day South India)
Historical regionIndian subcontinent
Primary sourcePreserved in: Nilakantha — Tantrasangraha (c.1500) and Jyeshthadeva — Yuktibhasa (c.1530)
Secondary sourceMacTutor, St Andrews — Madhava of Sangamagramma; Roy, R. — "The Discovery of the Series Formula for π" (Math. Magazine, 1990)
Original languageMalayalam / Sanskrit
View this entry in the interactive atlas → View in graph →