Skip to content

The square of negative or positive is positive; of zero, is zero. The root of a square is such as was that from which it was raised [i.e. either positive or negative]. (37).

— Brahmagupta

Another quote →

More quotes by Brahmagupta

The old calculations dealing with planets based on the system of Brahma have become erroneous in course of past ages and therefore I, the son of Jishnugupta would like to clarify them.

In a linear equation in one unknown, the difference of the two known terms taken in the reverse order, divided by the difference of the coefficients of the unknown (is the value of the unknown).

Of the unknowns, their squares, cubes, fourth powers, fifth powers, sixth powers, etc., addition and subtraction are performed of the like; of the unlike they mean simply their statement severally.

The product of a negative quantity and a positive is negative; of two negatives, is positive; of two positives, is positive. The product of zero and negative, or of zero and positive, is zero; [the product] of two zeros, is zero. (34).

The sum of two positive quantities is positive; of two negative is negative; of a positive and a negative is their difference; or, if they are equal, zero. The sum of zero and negative is negative; of positive and zero is positive; of two zeros is zero (31).

All Brahmagupta quotes →

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Brahmagupta (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.