Lilavati

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For other meanings, please see Leelavathi

Lilavati (also Leelavati) was Indian mathematician Bhaskara's treatise on mathematics in the twelfth century.

[edit] Name

The name comes from his daughter Lilavati. Many of the problems are addressed to Lilavati herself who must have been a very bright young woman. For example "Oh Lilavati, intelligent girl, if you understand addition and subtraction, tell me the sum of the amounts 2, 5, 32, 193, 18, 10, and 100, as well as [the remainder of] those when subtracted from 10000." and "Fawn-eyed child Lilavati, tell me, how much is the number [resulting from] 135 multiplied by 12, if you understand multiplication by separate parts and by separate digits. And tell [me], beautiful one, how much is that product divided by the same multiplier? "

The word Lilavati itself means beautiful or one possessing beauty (lila-beautiful, vati-female possessing the quality).

[edit] Contents

The book contains thirteen chapters, mainly definitions, arithmetical terms, interest computation, arithmetical and geometrical progressions, plane geometry, solid geometry, the shadow of the gnomon, the kuttaka - a method to solve indeterminate equations, and combinations.

Lilavati includes a number of methods of computing numbers such as multiplications, squares, and progressions, with examples using kings and elephants, objects which a common man could understand.

Excerpt from Lilavati ( Appears as an additional problem attached to stanza 54, Chapter 3. Translated by T N Colebrook)

Whilst making love a necklace broke.
A row of pearls mislaid.
One sixth fell to the floor.
One fifth upon the bed.
The young woman saved one third of them.
One tenth were caught by her lover.
If six pearls remained upon the string
How many pearls were there altogether?

Bhaskaracharya's conclusion to Lilavati states:

Joy and happiness is indeed ever increasing in this world for those who have Lilavati clasped to their throats, decorated as the members are with neat reduction of fractions, multiplication and involution, pure and perfect as are the solutions, and tasteful as is the speech which is exemplified.