Physics & Mechanics
Intuition of gravity ('gurutvakarshan')
7th-12th c. CEBrahmagupta; Bhaskara IIBrahmasphutasiddhanta; Siddhanta ShiromaniPan-Indian / unspecified
601 CE
Stated that the Earth attracts objects toward itself, explaining why things fall.
- Dated
- 601 CE–1200
- As scholars put it
- 7th-12th c. CE
- Originator
- Brahmagupta; Bhaskara II
- Source text
- Brahmasphutasiddhanta; Siddhanta Shiromani
- Region
- Pan-Indian / unspecified
- Discipline
- Physics & Mechanics
- Evidence
- Plausible precursor
- Confidence
- Medium
- Verification
- Reference-cited
Meanwhile in the West
Newton's mathematical law of universal gravitation (1687).
Fair to say
This is a QUALITATIVE intuition, NOT Newton's inverse-square law or universal gravitation. Claims of equivalence are overstated.
Path to modern innovation
An early qualitative recognition of gravity.
Transmission
No transmission; a qualitative idea vs. a quantitative theory.
References
- 1Brahmasphutasiddhanta
- 2Siddhanta Shiromani
Further reading
Corrections and additional sources: edit IND-048 on GitHub.