Observation versus calculation in medieval Indian astronomy

After nearly three hundred years of historical research it still remains unclear how the medieval Indian astronomers observed the celestial bodies, and how (and whether) they integrated their observations into their theories, especially in creating and revising the quantitative theoretical models they adopted. Conflicting, often contentious, perspectives on their scientific methods have been put forth in the history of Indian science, but none so far has succeeded in presenting a picture that is both comprehensive and broadly convincing. This talk explores the roots of this controversy, the reasons why it has proved so intractable, and a possible course towards its resolution. 



About Dr. Kim Plofker:


Dr. Kim Plofker, Union College, Schenectady, NY, USA, is a well-known expert on the history of ancient and medieval Indian astronomy and mathematics. She was a Plenary speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians, Hyderabad, 2010, and received the Brouwer medal of the Royal Mathematical Society, the Netherlands, for 2011. She has to her credit a book "Mathematics in India" (Princeton Univ. Press, 2009), and several original articles in international journals on history of mathematics. Her other interests include study of medieval Islamic world, and the cross-cultural transmission of scientific models.