Ancient Indian Mathematical Concepts Included in Class 7 NCERT Textbook

new delhi/chennai: ancient indian mathematical methods have been incorporated into the class 7 mathematics textbook of the national council of educational research and training (ncert), officials said.according to ncert, the move aims to correct misconceptions that science and mathematics originated only in the west and to instil a sense of self-reliance and pride in india's indigenous knowledge traditions. the revisions are part of periodic syllabus updates under the national education policy (nep) 2020.inthe newly revised second-semester textbook, a section highlights that the foundations of algebra were laid by indian scholars. geometric concepts from ancient sanskrit texts have also been explained.the lesson on integers now introduces the rules of multiplication and division of positive and negative numbers based on the brahmasphuta siddhanta of 7th-century mathematician brahmagupta. concepts from bija ganita, attributed to 12th-century mathematician bhaskaracharya, have also been included to explain algebraic equations.additionally, references to the translation of indian mathematical texts into arabic in the 8th century and information about notable indian mathematicians have been added. officials said the inclusion of these elements will help dispel colonial-era notions and reinforce india's rich scientific heritage among students.