The Mathematicians Podcast

Episode 52 of The Mathematicians Podcast, takes us deep into the world of ancient Indian mathematics with a focus on Apastamba and his contributions to the Sulvasutras. Following in the footsteps of Baudhayana, Apastamba codified and clarified Vedic ritual geometry, transforming abstract rules into practical, modular construction techniques. We explore his mathematical approach, the subtle differences between his Sulvasutras and those of Baudhayana, and his work on the Dharma Sutra, which laid out ethical and social laws with remarkable precision.

 

Keywords & Hashtags:
Ancient mathematics, Indian mathematics, Apastamba, Sulvasutras, Vedic mathematics, Baudhayana, Yajurveda, Dharma Sutra, Indian mathematicians, history of mathematics, geometry, Pythagoras, ethics, moral philosophy, Vedic ritual, math history podcast, mathematicians podcast, Benjamin Cornish, mathematicians, educational podcast, maths podcast, Indian history, cultural history, modular constructions, ritual geometry, maths enthusiasts, STEM history, historical maths

#AncientMathematics #IndianMathematics #Apastamba #Sulvasutras #VedicMathematics #Baudhayana #Yajurveda #DharmaSutra #MathsPodcast #HistoryOfMathematics #Geometry #Ethics #MathematicsHistory #BenjaminCornish #MathematiciansPodcast #STEMHistory #MathsEnthusiasts #EducationalPodcast

 

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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/

In this episode a journey back to 800 BCE to explore the life and work of Baudhayana, one of the earliest known mathematicians from the Indian tradition.

This episode also offers context on the Vedic tradition, the role of mathematics in ritual practices, and the broader connections between ethical, social, and technical knowledge. We discuss how mathematics was a practical, problem-solving craft in ancient India, designed to be memorized, teachable, and repeatable, an engineering mindset long before modern formalizations. Listeners will gain a rich understanding of the spiritual, cultural, and mathematical landscape in which Baudhayana worked, and why his contributions remain significant today.

Finally, the episode touches on questions of historical credit, colonial narratives in mathematics, and how we name mathematical discoveries, challenging us to reconsider what we think we “know” about the history of ideas. 

 

You can support my work here: https://ko-fi.com/benjamincornish, any tips are most gratefully received.

Keywords:
Baudhayana, Sulbasutras, Vedic mathematics, ancient India, Pythagoras’ theorem, history of mathematics, approximations of pi, √2, sacred geometry, mathematical history, applied mathematics, Indian mathematicians, Vedic tradition

Hashtags:
#Baudhayana #VedicMathematics #Sulbasutras #AncientIndia #PythagorasTheorem #MathsHistory #SacredGeometry #AppliedMaths #HistoryOfMaths #MathematiciansPodcast

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/

How do you get a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage across a river without turning the boat into a buffet? Welcome to the Season 1 Finale of The Mathematicians Podcast! Today, we go to the court of Charlemagne to meet Alcuin of York: clergyman, poet, teacher, and potentially history’s first queer mathematician.

Alcuin arguably invented the genre of "Recreational Mathematics." In this episode, we open his book Propositiones ad Acuendos Juvenes (Problems to Sharpen the Young), a collection of logic puzzles that includes the world’s first recorded river-crossing problems, inheritance riddles, and a few "impossible" questions designed solely to troll his students.

We also discuss Alcuin’s contribution to literacy (specifically the invention of the question mark), his thoughts on baptism, and why he might have been the original miniscule fan.

Housekeeping:Please note that the show will be moving to a monthly release schedule as I prepare for the arrival of a new family member. If you would like to support the show through this next phase, please visit the new Ko-Fi page below!

Support the Show: Ko-Fi.com/BenjaminCornishContact: @mathematicians-pod on Bluesky

Keywords:Alcuin of York, Charlemagne, Carolingian Renaissance, Recreational Mathematics, History of Mathematics, Logic Puzzles, River Crossing Problem, Medieval History, Education History, Series Finale.

Hashtags:#MathsHistory #AlcuinOfYork #LogicPuzzles #Charlemagne #MedievalHistory #RecreationalMaths #Podcast #STEMHistory #CarolingianRenaissance #SeasonFinale

Was Bede a mathematician? Well, he certainly made history count. Join Benjamin Cornish for a trip to Northumbria (which is definitely in England) to meet the "OG monk" who mastered the calendar. In this episode, we dip into "On the Reckoning of Time" to discover how one man calculated the date of Easter, argued with the tides, and dated the Garden of Eden to a Tuesday (or close enough). We also explore why we use the AD/BC system and why you should never trust a Solstice.

Keywords: Bede, History of Mathematics, Northumbria, Calendars, Paschal Moon, Tides, Chronology, AD/BC.

Hashtags: #MathsHistory #TheVenerableBede #MedievalHistory #Podcast #Calendar #Northumbria #Maths

 

 

 

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/

This week on The Mathematicians Podcast, join Benjamin Cornish as he shines a spotlight on Eutocius of Ascalon, the unsung hero who kept the flames of ancient mathematics burning! Born in 480 CE, Eutocius headed the prestigious Alexandrian school and dedicated his life to preserving and elucidating the monumental works of mathematical titans like Archimedes. We'll explore his crucial commentaries on "On the Sphere and Cylinder" and "Measurement of a Circle," unravelling fascinating insights into early approximations of pi and the elusive origins of square root calculations. Discover why some figures count more than their theorems.

Keywords: Eutocius of Ascalon, History of Mathematics, Archimedes, Alexandrian School, Greek Mathematics, Mathematical Commentaries, Pi Approximation, Square Root, Ancient Geometry, Preservation of Knowledge, On the Sphere and Cylinder, Measurement of a Circle, Apollonius' Conics, Doubling the Cube, Mathematical Heritage.

 

#EutociusOfAscalon #HistoryOfMathematics #Archimedes #AncientGreece #AlexandrianSchool #MathematicalCommentaries #Pi #SquareRoots #MathematicalHeritage #Podcast