Prof. Dr. N. Prabhudev
Vice-Chancellor
BANGALORE UNIVERSITY
Website: www.vcbunprabhudev.in
Email: vcbunprabhudev@gmail.com
Blog:
http://www.vcbunprabhudev.blogspo
t.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/VCBU
5th April 2010
Achievements of Ancient Indian Civilization
Indian invented the number 0 (Zero) India
invented the Number System. Zero was
invented by Aryabhatta
India was the richest country on earth till
the British invasion in the 17th century.
India has never invaded any country in her
last 10,000 year history.
Aryabhata (500 AD) took the earth to spin on its axis
and he described the planet periods with reference to
the sun. He also took the solar system to be several
hundred million miles across. In all of these things he
was ahead of the rest of the world by more than a
thousand years. Bhaskara (12th century) was a
brilliant mathematician. Bhaskaracharya calculated
the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds
of years before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by
earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484
days.
The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana and he
explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean
Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century long before
the European mathematicians.
Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus came from India;
Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th
century;
Father of Wireless communication was Prof. Jagdeesh Bose
and not Marconi.
Chess (Shataranj or Ashtapada) was invented in India.
French scholar Romain Rolland said: If there is one
place on the face of the earth where all the dreams of
living men have found a home from the very earliest
days when man began the dream of existence, it is
India.
India will soon be home to the world’s tallest
building, World Centre of Vedic Learning which is 700
feet taller than Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur as
depicted in the picture above. It will also have many
times larger mass than any existing tall buildings. The
site of the building is at the centre point of India,
Northeast of Jabalpur.
Indians discovered ZERO.
Hindu- Arabic Numerals are ours.
Trigonometry, Algebra are our resources.
Indian Mythology says WORLD IS ROUND.. NOT FLAT
Science in its broadest sense, any systematic
knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is
capable of resulting in a correct prediction, or
reliably-predictable type of outcome. In this sense,
science may refer to a highly skilled technique,
technology, or practice, from which a good deal of
randomness in outcome has been removed.
Science is a continuing effort to discover and increase human
knowledge and understanding through disciplined research.
Using controlled methods, scientists collect observable
evidence of natural or social phenomena, record measurable
data relating to the observations, and analyze this information
to construct theoretical explanations of how things work The
ability of the general population to understand the basic
concepts related to science is referred to as scientific literacy
Philosophy of science
It is universally agreed that scientific hypotheses and theories
must be capable of being independently tested and verified
by other scientists in order to become accepted by the
scientific community
Atmospheric science
Atmospheric science is a broad term used to
describe the study of a planet's atmosphere, its
chemical and physical processes, the effects
other systems have on it, and the atmosphere's
effects on these other systems. Atmospheric
science is generally broken up into three sub
sciences: Meteorology, Climatology, and
Aeronomy. The Earth's atmosphere, a layered
sphere of gas extending upward more than 600
km from the surface, forms the environment for
terrestrial life.
The different layers: the troposphere,
where weather occurs; the stratosphere,
where a blanket of protective ozone lies;
the mesosphere, the home of beautiful
noctilucent clouds (also know as polar
mesospheric clouds or PMC's); and the
thermosphere, host to the colorful aurora
(northern/southern lights
SPACE PHYSICS
Matter can be found in four different states. There
are three that we are very familiar with: solid, liquid,
and gas. The fourth state, plasma, is much more
unfamiliar to us. The field of space physics deals with
the study of solar system plasmas (gases of charged
particles). Plasmas fill much of the known cosmos,
and the interactions of such charged gases determine
the behavior of matter within our solar-terrestrial
system. But the spatial, temporal, and density scales
we can explore in space are much different from
those produced in earthbound laboratories
Therefore, our solar-terrestrial system - which is
composed of dynamic and complex systems of
moving particles, magnetic fields, and electrical
currents - serves as a nearby example of what
probably happens throughout our whole universe. It
is a unique laboratory for investigating the natural
processes that occur in nearly all astrophysics and it is
a laboratory that we can reach relatively easily with
rockets and spacecraft. Studies of the different space
environments of planetary objects test our
understanding of the underlying physical principles
occurring under different situations to that found at
Earth.
As our appreciation of the Sun-Earth system has
grown more sophisticated, so too has our technology.
Today, a tangled web of electrical and communication
links has been woven across Earth's surface By using
electromagnetic techniques to enhance
communication, navigation, reconnaissance, and
weather prediction that generally make the world
safer, we have also put ourselves in danger. Every tool
and gadget that relies on radio waves, conducting
wires, and sensitive transistors and processing chips
can be affected by disturbances in the solarterrestrial system.
Fraction of solar radiation that is transmitted to the Earth’s
surface over a spectral region accounting for approximately
95% of the total energy from the Sun.
The term "scientific misconduct" refers to situations such as
where researchers have intentionally misrepresented their
published data or have purposely given credit for a discovery
to the wrong person
Criticism of science
Many issues damage the relationship of science to the media
and the use of science and scientific arguments by politicians.
As a very broad generalisation, many politicians seek
certainties and facts whilst scientists typically offer
probabilities and caveats. However, politicians' ability to be
heard in the mass media frequently distorts the scientific
understanding by the public.
The tradition of science and technology (S&T) in
India is over 5,000 years old. A renaissance was
witnessed in the first half of the 20th century.
The S&T infrastructure has grown up from about
Rs. 10 million at the time of independence in
1947 to Rs. 30 billion. Significant achievements
have been made in the areas of nuclear and
space science, electronics and defence. The
government is committed to making S&T an
integral part of the socio-economic
development of the country.
To me, India represents the spirit of
excellence and pursuit of beauty and truth
in art and science. There is nothing
parochial about this idea; it is inspiring,
and it helps us find our common ground
with all humanity. Our schools must
celebrate this spirit and remembering
great masters is a part of the process.
Making peace with the past will make it
easier to move on with the business of
creating a great future for everyone