Are Aryabhata's and Galilean Relativity Equivalent?

TL;DR

This paper investigates whether Aryabhata's references to relativity of motion are equivalent to Galilean Relativity, analyzing ancient texts to compare their conceptual similarities and differences.

Contribution

It provides a detailed textual analysis showing that Aryabhata's work explicitly mentions relativity of space and motion, offering historical insights into early concepts of relativity.

Findings

Aryabhata's verses explicitly mention relativity of space and motion.

No explicit reference to uniform motion in Aryabhata's texts.

Comparison suggests conceptual parallels with Galilean Relativity.

Abstract

This paper considers the question of whether Aryabhata's direct and indirect references to relativity of motion are equivalent to Galilean Relativity. Examining verses fom different sections of the text Aryabhatiya, we show that there is explicit mention of relativity of space and motion, although there is no explicit reference to the motion being uniform.