• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.15-29
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• 2011

This study was carrying out research on the geometry of Sulbas${\={u}}$tras as parts of looking for historical roots of oriental mathematics, The Sulbas${\={u}}$tras(rope's rules), a collection of Hindu religious documents, was written between Vedic period(BC 1500~600). The geometry of Sulbas${\={u}}$tras in ancient India was studied to construct or design for sacrificial rite and fire altars. The Sulbas${\={u}}$tras contains not only geometrical contents such as simple statement of plane figures, geometrical constructions for combination and transformation of areas, but also algebraic contents such as Pythagoras theorem and Pythagorean triples, irrational number, simultaneous indeterminate equation and so on. This paper examined the key features of the geometry of Sulbas${\={u}}$tras and the geometry of Sulbas${\={u}}$tras for the construction of the sacrificial rite and the fire altars. Also, in this study we compared geometry developments in ancient India with one of the other ancient civilizations.