Aryabhata
A 23-year-old computes pi to four places and says the Earth rotates.
- When
- Known to
- ± 2 years
- Era
- Classical, Holocene
Aryabhata completes the Aryabhatiya in 499 CE, giving pi as 3.1416 and describing it as approximate — an unusual acknowledgement — providing a sine table, solving quadratic and indeterminate equations, and stating that the apparent motion of the stars is caused by the Earth's rotation on its axis. He also explains eclipses correctly as shadows rather than demons, against the prevailing view.