MADHAVA’S SINE AND COSINE SERIES A. K. Bae Indian National Science Academy 1 Park Street Calcutta 700 016 (Received 29 April 1975) Indian scholar MAdhave (1350-1410) gave a table of almost accurate values of half-sine chords for twenty-four arcs drawn at equal intervals in a quarter of a given circle. The paper discusses the basis of arriving at such accurate values and has shown that Madhava established the following sine and cosine series before Newton (1642-1727), De Moivro (1707-38) and Euler (1748), and used theso relations to compute his table, These are : is ew sin OO Ft ee ee cos = 1 —2 aT at ‘The rational of the relations has also been discussed in a nutshell in the paper. The originality of Madhava! (1850-1410) in astronomy, particularly in the application of refined mathematics in it in medieval period, is now being slowly recognised. He has given values of 24 half-sine chords for twenty-four ares in a quarter of a circle drawn at equal intervals of 225’, viz. 225", 450’, 675’, ... 5400’. ‘The corresponding twenty-four sine values given by him are as follows.? 224’ 50" 22" 448" 42" 58” 670’ 40” 16” 889’ 45” 15” 1105’ 1" 39”" 1315’ 34" 7" 1520’ 28" 35°" 1718’ 52” 24"" 1909’ 54” 35”” 2092’ 46” 3” 2266’ 39” 50” 2430’ 51” 15” 2584! 38" 6" 2727' 20" 52"" 2858' 22" 55" 2977' 10" 34” 3083’ 13” 17" $176’ 3” 50" 3255’ 18” 22" 3320’ 36” 30°” 3371' 41" 29° 3408’ 20" 11" 3430’ 23" 11" 3487! 44” 48° ‘Theso values are correct to more or less eight to nine places of decimals. How Madhava arrived at such accurate values of sine table, has been discussed in the paper. VOL. 11, No. 1.BAG: MADHAVA’S’SINE AND COSINE SERIES 55 The following passage found in the antra-samgraha® (1501 A.D.) has left dis- tinct hints that the results contained in the lines were of Madhava. The verses run as follows : nihatya cipa vargena c&ipam tattatphalini cal haret samitlayugvargaistrijydvargahatai, kramét|| capam phaliini cadhodhonyasyoparyupari tyajet} jiviplyai, sangraho ‘syaiva vidvan-ityadinakrtah |} nihatya céipavargena ripam tattatphaléni’ cal hared vimulayugvargaistrijyavargahataip kramdt|| kintu vyasadalenaiva dvighnenddyam vibhajyatam| phalanyadhodhah kramaso nyasyoparyupari tyajet|/ Saraptyai, sargraho ‘syaiva stenastrityadina kytay) English Translation: Multiply the aro by the square of itself (multiplication being repeated any number of times) and divide the result by theproduct of the square of even numbers increased by that number and square of the radius (the multipli- cation being repeated same number of times). The are and the results obtained from above are placed one below the other and are subtracted systematically one from its above. ‘Theso together give the jivd (r sin 4) collected here as found in the ex- pression beginning with vidvdn ets. Multiply the unit (i.e. radius) by the square of the are (multiplicarion being repeated any number of times) and divide the result by the product of square of even number decreased by that number and square of the radius (multiplication being repeated same number of times). Place the results one below the other and subtract one from its above. These together give the Jara (r—r cos 4), collected here as found in the expression beginning with stena. If t, and ¢’, be the n-th exprossion for jiva and gara, then for asmall are s, and radius r, ams - ‘= BRP)... [apap 23,3,-). The successive terms f,, fy, fy... ate, a a7 ae 4= gy’ = gi = jee = Hs ‘Thon according to the rule, Sid = (8h) H(t) +(4—-b) +. -- ou ~ Tito ql) Agei ft emir aa = = ~“R—ayaI—4) ... (Ont) — In (n=1,2,3,56 A. K. BAG The successive terms ¢,', f)’,t,’,... are : __# = gs As per rule, dara = (r—t,')-+(ty’ ts’)... 0. aa _ 310 an = 9, tam ~@a tae ~ ire tp when s = r 6, the eqns (1) and (2) reduco to : oe 8 | # sin 0=0— +5 a tgp | | | J Oo wo (3) cs6 =I tat Fortunately the passages beginning with vidvdn and atena referred to in the above verses have been preserved in both Aryabhatiyabhagya of Nilakanjha (1443- 1545) and Karanapaddhati. In the former it has been clearly stated that the values of the first five terms fs, fy, ts, fe, f, of the eqn (J) and of ty’, ts’, ty’, ty’, fo’, and fy” of eqn (2) were given by Madhava (evtha madhavay) when s = 5400’ and r = 3437’ 44" 48". Tho values are: videan "" = 1,), tunna bala (= 33" 6" = t,), kavi- danicaya (=16' 5" 41" = t,), sarvarthagilasthiro (=273' 57" 47" = 1,), nirvirdhan- ganarendrarung (= 2220' 39" 40" = t,) and stena (= 6" = {q’), stripiduna (= 5” 12" =’), sugandhinaganud (= 3/9" 37" = t,'), bhadrangabhavyasana (= 71' 48" 24” t,'), minarganarasimha (= 872’ 3" 5" = t,’), unadhanakptbhureva (== 4241/9" 0" = ty). Those values when substituted in eqn (1) containing terma from t, to f,, jivd comes out to be 3437’ 44” 48”, the 24th sine value given in the table of Madhava (here s = 5400’). Similarly if ¢ is replaced gradually by 225’, 450’, 676’... Madhava’s sine table is obtained. Proceeding in a similar way and substituting values in eqn(2), the cosine table is obtained. This evidently shows thay Madhava, followed by the authors of Tantrasaymgraha and, Karanapaddhati, used the eqns (1) and (2) for the computation of the sine and cosine tables. How Madhava arrived at the equations (1) and (2) is not yet definitely known. The Tantrasamgraka (ch. 2, verse 12}) of Nilakanthe and Karanapaddhati (ch. 6, verse 19) have both given that for small aro, ji = se (approximately). The Yuktibhaea* has given the complote rational of the eqns (1) and (2). Its euthor Jyesthadeva(c, 1500-1600) in an offort to find an expression for the difference botwoen any are and its sine chord, divided the circumference of the quarter of a circle intoBAG: MADHAVA’S SINE AND COSINE SERIES 81 n equal divisions and considered the first and second sine differences. He then found the sum of the first n sino differences and cosine differences by considering all sine chords to be equal to corresponding arc and the small unit of the circumference to gia and bara = 2”. Since sine values are not actually equal to its arc length, further correction was applied ad-infinitum to each of the terms of the values obtained for jiué and dara, which ultimately gives rise to the eqns (1) and (2). It would not be quite unlikely to presume that the rational was first ostablished by Madhava bofore Jyesthadeva could make use of it. In Western mathematics Newton(1642-1727) is often given credit for the ex- pansion ofsino and cosine series No. (3). ‘The result was established later algebraically on a solid foundation by De Moivre (1707-38) and Euler (1748)’. It is clear from the discussion that the Indian scholar Madhava (1350-1410) used and possibly established the series (1), (2) and (3) of course in finite form before Newton, De Moivre and Euler, and laid the foundation of his sine table. Texpress my gratitude to Sri S. N. Sen for his kind interest in the paper. be equal to one unit, which evidently gives jiod = Notes AND REFERENCES 1 Sarma, K. V. The date of MAdhava, a little known Indien astronomer, Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Sosiety, 48, 183-86, 1958. 2 Vide Tantrasamgraha, edited by 8. K. Pillai, Trivandrum Sanskrit Series 186, p. 19, Trivandrum 1958; vide also Rai, R. N. Sine values of the Vafesvarasiddhanta, Indian Journal of History of Science, 7, p. 11, 1972. 8 Vide Yuktibhisa, Part I, edited with notes by Ramavarma (Maru) and Tampuran and A. R. Akhilesvare Iyer, p. 190, Trichur, 1948. Trivandrum Sanskrit Series No, 101 (Ganitapada), p. 113; Yuktibhaed, p. 145. Ch. 6, verses 14-15 (for edition vide Trivandrum Sanskrit Series, No. 126); ch. 6, verso 7 refers : : 21600 K 10% ee : to the circle of radius- 314159, 36, 596 3487’ 44° 48", used for the compatation of sine and co-sine table. Saraswathi, T. A., The Developmont of Mathematical Series in India, Bulletin of the National Inetitute of Sciences of India, 24, pp. 338-42, 1963. 7 Moritz Cantor, Vorlesungen uber Geschichte der Mathematik, Vol. 3, pp. 62-78, Leipzig, 1808 Smith, D. E. A source Book in Mathematica, Vol. 2, pp. 440-54, Dovor Publication, 1959.