The Scientific Heritage of Ancient India

• Aryabhata: An Indian sage from the 5th century who discovered Zero. He authored the famous book Aryabhatiya.

• Bhaskaracharya: An ancient mathematician whose book, Shiromani, contains many principles of mathematics and astronomy still used today. He was the first to state that the Earth's poles experience six months of day and six months of night. He also calculated the Earth's circumference with accuracy similar to modern science. In the 11th century, he discovered that Earth's gravity makes objects fall and keeps the moon and stars in place.

• Brahmagupta: An ancient sage who described the Decimal System in his work Brahmasphuta Siddhanta. This system eventually spread to Arab countries and was later adopted by the West.