HISTORY OF ALGEBRA. 145 



"'■ Bija Ganita will be found to differ much from ;A.ntus' work. 



•* It contains a great deal of knowledge which the Gw ad not; such 



" as the use of an indefinite number of unknown quantities* and the use 

 " of arbitrary marks to express them ; a good ari \i of surds ; a 



** perfect theory of indeterminate problems of the first degree ; a very 

 " extensive and general knowledge of those of the second degree ; a 

 " knowledge of quadratic equations, &c. The arrangement and man* 

 * fr ner of the two works will be found as essentially different as their 

 " substance. The one constitutes a body ©f science, which' the other 

 " does not. The Bija Ganita is well digested and well connected, and 

 " is full of general rules which suppose great learning: the rules are 

 " illustrated by examples, and the solutions are performed with skill. 

 " Diophantus, though not entirely without method, gives very few ge- 

 " neral propositions, and is chiefly remarkable for the ability with which 

 ** he makes assumptions in view to the solution of his questions. The 

 " former teaches Algebra as a science, by treating it systematically ; the 

 " latter sharpens the wit by solving a variety of abstruse and complicated 

 " problems, in an ingenious manner. The author of the Bija Ganita 

 %i goes deeper into his subject, and treats it more methodically, though 

 " not more acutely, than Diophantus, The former has every charac— 

 " teristic of an assiduous and learned compiler ; - the latter of a man of 

 " genius in the infancy of science. 5 ' 



The Greek Algebra may be seen in Diophantus, who is the only 

 Greek writer on the subject who has ever been heard of. 



The Indian Algebra may be seen in the Bija Ganita, and the Lilavati 

 (by the author of the Bija Ganita,) and as the Persian translations of 

 these works contain a degree of knowledge, which did not exist in any of 



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