Irrational Number - History

History

It has been suggested that the concept of irrationality was implicitly accepted by Indian mathematicians since the 7th century BC, when Manava (c. 750 – 690 BC) believed that the square roots of numbers such as 2 and 61 could not be exactly determined. However, historian Carl Benjamin Boyer states that "...such claims are not well substantiated and unlikely to be true."

Read more about this topic:  Irrational Number

Famous quotes containing the word history:

    Bias, point of view, fury—are they ... so dangerous and must they be ironed out of history, the hills flattened and the contours leveled? The professors talk ... about passion and point of view in history as a Calvinist talks about sin in the bedroom.
    Catherine Drinker Bowen (1897–1973)

    This above all makes history useful and desirable: it unfolds before our eyes a glorious record of exemplary actions.
    Titus Livius (Livy)

    Every literary critic believes he will outwit history and have the last word.
    Mason Cooley (b. 1927)