Measurement Units in Ancient India

via From a Forwarded Email published on July 25, 2011

The highest prefix used for raising 10 to a power in today’s maths, is ‘D’ for 10^30 (from Greek Deca). While, as early as 100 BC Indian Mathematicians had exact names for figures upto 10^53 (10 raise to the power 53).
ekam =  1
dashakam =  10
shatam =  100
sahasram =  1000
dashasahasram =  10000
lakshaha =  100000
dashalakshaha =  10^6
kotihi =  10^7
ayutam =  10^9
niyutam =  10^11
kankaram =  10^13
vivaram =  10^15
parardhaha = 10^17
nivahaha = 10^19
utsangaha = 10^21
bahulam = 10^23
nagbalaha = 10^25
titilambam = 10^27
vyavasthana- pragnaptihi = 10^29
hetuheelam = 10^31
karahuhu = 10^33
hetvindreeyam = 10^35
samapta-lambhaha = 10^37
gananagatihi = 10^39
niravadyam = 10^41
mudrabalam = 10^43
sarvabalam = 10^45
vishamagnagatihi = 10^47
sarvagnaha = 10^49
vibhutangama = 10^51
tallakshanam = 10^53
 
India has given the idea of the smallest and largest measure of time.
Krati = 34,000th of a second
1 Truti = 300th of a second
2 Truti = 1 Luv
2 Luv = 1 Kshana
30 Kshana = 1 Vipal
60 Vipal = 1 Pal
60 Pal  = 1 Ghadi (24 Minutes)
2.5 Ghadi = 1 Hora (1 Hour)
24 Hora = 1 Divas (1 Day)
7 Divas = 1 Saptah (1 week)
4 Saptah = 1 Maas ( 1 Month)
2 Maas = 1 Ritu (1 Season)
6 Ritu = 1 Varsh (1 Year)
100 Varsh = 1 Shatabda (1 Century)
10 Shatabda = 1 Sahasrabda
432 Sahasrabda = 1 Yug (Kaliyug)
2 Yug = 1 Dwaparyug
3 Yug = 1 Tretayug
4 Yug = 1 Krutayug
10 Yug = 1 Mahayug(4,320,000Yrs)
1000 Mahayug = 1 Kalpa
1 Kalpa = 4.32 Billion Years

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