नवीनतम
NCERT Class 7 textbook traces algebra, integers to ancient India
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: The newly released Class 7 mathematics textbook by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) attributes several mathematical concepts, including algebra, to Indian mathematicians, The Indian Express reported on Friday.
The book, titled Ganita Prakash, is the second part of NCERT’s revised Class 7 mathematics series. Part 1, released earlier this year, also highlighted India’s historical contributions to mathematics. The latest volume draws on examples from Sanskrit texts, includes exercises inspired by the works of ancient Indian mathematicians, and discusses about an ancient Indian text on geometry.
A chapter on integers, for example, points to mathematician Brahmagupta’s 7th-century CE text Brahmasphutasiddhanta as being the “first time that rules for multiplication and division of positive and negative numbers were articulated”. It describes this “an important step in the development of arithmetic and algebra” and includes problems based on Brahmagupta’s principles. The textbook mentions that Indian contributions to algebra are among the earliest known work in the field.
Another chapter, devoted to algebraic equations, introduces the concept of bijaganita, now known as algebra, and explains that forming expressions with symbols and solving them was a key aspect of mathematical exploration in ancient India. The chapter refers to Brahmagupta’s work on adding, subtracting and multiplying unknown numbers using letters, saying this is among the earliest known works in algebra, the report added.
Tracing the evolution of algebra, the textbook says Indian mathematical ideas were translated into Arabic in the 8th century, influencing scholars such as Al-Khwarizmi of present-day Iraq. His 9th-century work, Hisab al-jabr wal-muqabala (“calculation by restoring and balancing”), incorporated these ideas. By the 12th century, the text had been translated into Latin and reached Europe. “The word al-jabr from his book gave us the word algebra, which we also still use today,” it says.
NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani said the inclusion of such material aims to help students learn “correct history” and move away from “skewed” colonial interpretations.
Commenting on the historical context, Dhruv Raina, historian and philosopher of science, sais that Arab scholars were “profoundly influenced” by Indian mathematicians, especially Brahmagupta. “They improvised upon these methods to create what we consider algebra today. The Arab mathematicians were great synthesisers and innovators with the knowledge they acquired from ancient Greek, Indian and Chinese traditions,” TIE quoted Raina as saying.
The earlier Class 7 textbook contained no references to ancient Indian mathematicians. The new edition is part of NCERT’s move to align school curricula with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework.
