The Tacit Appropriation Of Hindu Algebra In Renaissance Practical Arithmetic

摘要

Although, no formal influence has been demonstrated of Hindu sources on Renaissance arithmetic and algebra, there are strong indications for some relation. In absence of extant texts that support a direct connection, we present here an explanation for the possible influence of Hindu algebra on Renaissance problem-solving methods by means of proto-algebraic rules. Such rules are part of sub-scientific traditions which are disseminated mostly orally through stories, riddles, tangible and mnemonic aids. Because of the lack of written evidence, historians of mathematics have neglected these traditions. We discuss three types of recipes from European arithmetic and algebra treatises and demonstrate their structural similarity with rules for solving algebraic problems from the Hindu tradition. We also provide a framework for further study of such relations.