An Approximation for Square Roots known in India prior to Alexander's Conquest
Abstract
This paper was published in French under the title Sur une m\'ethode d'approximation des racines carr\'ees dans l'Inde ant\'erieurement \`a la conqu\ete d'Alexandre, in the Bulletin de la S. M. F., volume 7 (1879), p. 98-102. It argues that the process of approximating the irrational square root of an integer, now commonly known as Newton's method, was known in India since very ancient times.
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