The Hindu-Arabic numerals / by David Eugene Smith and Louis Charles Karpinski.

  • David Eugene Smith
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The Hindu-Arabic numerals / by David Eugene Smith and Louis Charles Karpinski. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    across the China sea, and at other times to Madagascar, Syria, and Palestine.1 He seems to have neglected no accessible sources of information, examining also the history of the Persians, the Hindus, and the Romans. Touching the period of the Caliphs his work entitled Meadows of Grold furnishes a most entertaming fund of information. He states2 that the wise men of India, assembled by the king, composed the Sindhind. Fur- ther on3 he states, upon the authority of the historian Mohammed ibn 'All 'Abdl, that by order of Al-Mansur many works of science and astrology were translated into Arabic, notably the Sindhind (Siddhanta). Concerning the meaning and spelling of this name there is consider- able diversity of opinion. Colebrooke4 first pointed out the connection between Siddhanta and Sindhind. He ascribes to the word the meaning “ the revolving ages.” 5 Similar designations are collected by Sedillot,6 who in- clined to the Greek origin of the sciences commonly attributed to the Hindus.7 Casiri,8 citing the Tdrxkh al- hokama or Chronicles of the Learned,9 refers to the work 1 Huart, History of Arabic Literature, English ed., New York, 1903, p. 182 seq. 2 Al-Mas'udi’s Meadows of Gold, translated in part by Aloys Spren- ger, London, 1841; Lesprairies dor, trad, par C. Barbier de Meynard et Pavet de Courteille, Yols. I to IX, Paris, 1801-1877. 3 Les prairies d’or, Yol. VIII, p. 289 seq. 4 Essays, Vol. II, p. 428. 6 Loc. cit., p. 504. G MaUriaux pour servir a Vhistoire comparcc des sciences mathema- tiques chez les Grecs et les Orientaux, 2 vols., Paris, 1845-1849, pp. 438- 439. 7 He made an exception, however, in favor of the numerals, loc. cit., Vol. II, p. 503. 8 Bibliotheca Arabico-Hispana Escurialensis, Madrid, 1700-1770, pp. 420-427. 9 The author, Ibn al-Qifti, flourished a.p. 1198 [Colebrooke, loc. cit., note Vol. II, p 510].