Bhaskara, Bhaskara Formula
We all know Bhaskara as the mathematical formula, but do you know who was the creator of this formula that bears the name of this great mathematician? Do you also know how to calculate the Bhaskara formula?
If you don't know either of the two things very well and want to learn this and much more about Bhaskara, you're in the right place, stay with us in this article and increase your knowledge about mathematics and the history surrounding this formula.
Who was Bhaskara?
Bhaskara was an Indian mathematician, astrologer, astronomer and teacher. He became known for creating the mathematical formula applied in the 2nd degree equation, although there is controversy regarding this fact.
Bhaskara was born in the city of Vijayapura, India, a place with an excellent tradition of mathematicians. His father was an astronomer and taught him the principles of mathematics and astronomy.
He was head of the astronomical observatory in Ujjain, a well-known mathematics school. Bhaskara was a specialist in algebra studies, which led him to deepen his research into equations and numerical systems.
Bhaskara worked on the question of the square root in equations, knowing that there were two roots in solving the quadratic equation, but there are no solid records that Bhaskara's well-known formula was actually his. This is because equations until the 16th century had letters, which was used after that century by the French mathematician François Viète.
Bhaskara's formula and its history
The name Bhaskara's Formula was created to pay homage to the mathematician Bhaskara Akaria. He was an Indian mathematician, teacher, astrologer and astronomer, considered the most important mathematician of the 12th century and the last important medieval mathematician in India.
Bhaskara's formula is used to solve quadratic equations with the general formula ax² + bx + c = 0, with real coefficients, with a ≠ 0. It is through this formula that we can deduce an expression for the sum (S) and the product (P ) of the roots of the 2nd degree equation.
What is the Bhaskara formula?
This Bhaskara formula originated from the general formula of 2nd degree equations.
ax2 + bx + c = 0
with non-zero;
First, we multiply all members of the calculation by 4a:
4a2x2 + 4abx + 4ac = 0;
Then we add b2 to both, as in the example below.
4a2x2 + 4abx + 4ac + b2 = b2;
After that, we regroup:
4a2x2 + 4abx + b2 = b2 – 4ac
If you notice, the first member is a perfect square trinomial:
(2ax + b)² = b² – 4ac
We take the square root of both sides and introduce the possibility of a negative and a positive root. Then we isolate the unknown x and that's it.
