no historical likeness exists
1114 – 1185Karnataka, India
Bhaskara II
A maths book written in poems for a child: Lilavati.
A short story
An Indian mathematician who lived more than eight hundred years ago. He wrote a maths book in poems and named it Lilavati after his daughter: hundreds of puzzles about bees in gardens, lotus flowers on ponds, peacocks dancing in courtyards, all teaching fractions and arithmetic with a teacher's warmth. His other book, Bijaganita, contained the first systematic algebra of equations in the Indian tradition.
In their own words
If a fifth of the bees fly to the lotus, and a third to the jasmine, where are the rest?
Paraphrased: a typical puzzle from Bhaskara II's Lilavati, c. 1150.
The lab their idea turned into
Strip Lab
Cut a strip into equal pieces. A fraction is how many you keep.
Open Strip Lab →