Madhava of Sangamagrama

Madhava
Native name	സംഗമഗ്രാമ മാധവൻ
Born	c. 1340 (or c. 1350)
Died	c. 1425
Residence	SangamagramaAloor, (Irinjalakuda) in Kerala
Occupation	Astronomer-mathematician
Known for	Discovery of power series expansions of trigonometric sine, cosine and arctangent functions
Notable work	Golavada, Madhyamanayanaprakara, Venvaroha
Title	Golavid (Master of Spherics)

Madhava of Sangamagrama (c. 1340 – c. 1425), was a mathematician and astronomer from the town of Sangamagrama (believed to be present-day Aloor, Irinjalakuda in Thrissur District), Kerala, India. He is considered the founder of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He was the first to use infinite series approximations for a range of trigonometric functions, which has been called the "decisive step onward from the finite procedures of ancient mathematics to treat their limit-passage to infinity". One of the greatest mathematician-astronomers of the Middle Ages, Madhava made pioneering contributions to the study of infinite series, calculus, trigonometry, geometry, and algebra.

Some scholars have also suggested that Madhava's work, through the writings of the Kerala school, may have been transmitted to Europe via Jesuit missionaries and traders who were active around the ancient port of Muziris at the time. As a result, it may have had an influence on later European developments in analysis and calculus.

Madhava was born as Irińńaŗappiļļy or Iriññinavaļļi Mādhava . He had written that his house name was related to the Vihar where a plant called "bakuļam" was planted. According to Achyuta Pisharati, (who wrote a commentary on Veṇvāroha written by Madhava) bakuļam was locally known as "iraňňi". Dr. K.V. Sarma, an authority on Madhava has the opinion that the house name is either Irińńāŗappiļļy or Iriññinavaļļy'.

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