Hojoborolo: Mathematics from elsewhere

Harvard gazette reports:

Intricate decorative tilework found in medieval architecture across the Islamic world appears to exhibit advanced decagonal quasicrystal geometry - a concept discovered by Western mathematicians and physicists only in the 1970s and 1980s. If so, medieval Islamic application of this geometry would predate Western mastery by at least half a millennium.

From this excellent website on Indian Mathematics:

The later Sulba-sutras represent the 'traditional' material along with further related elaboration of Vedic mathematics. The Sulba-sutras have been dated from around 800-200 BC, and further to the expansion of topics in the Vedangas, contain a number of significant developments.
These include first 'use' of irrational numbers, quadratic equations of the form a x2 = c and ax2 + bx = c, unarguable evidence of the use of Pythagoras theorem and Pythagorean triples, predating Pythagoras (c 572 - 497 BC), and evidence of a number of geometrical proofs. This is of great interest as proof is a concept thought to be completely lacking in Indian mathematics.

Oh yes, I have read Meera Nanda's take on all this. I got little agitated when I read her sneer at Vivekananda and Aurobindo, but with some training, I know now not to lose my cool. Smile.

Here's a suggestion: Meera Nanda, astrologers, postmodern rants What about experiments, and quasi-experiments? What about getting back to the proof? I know it is a reductionist approach, compared to pramana, but wouldn't that instill in us some respect for data, and cause-effect relations? Indians don't do experiments, either in the social sciences (where economists chatter about 'structure' and 'self-interest', happily ignoring everything in between) or in the physical sciences (strings, knots and jellyfish).

It's all intellectual speculation. When the cursor follows the text, who needs data? Theory is everything.

For those interested, try this excellent postmodern generator. And read about Alan Sokal and the Social Text affair. Meera Nanda makes a brief appearance somewhere.