What is bijganit?

"Bijganit" is the Hindi and Sanskrit word for algebra. It's a major branch of mathematics. You've definitely seen it before. It’s the type of math that uses symbols, most famously letters like x and y, to represent unknown numbers.

The whole point is to use rules and equations to figure out what those unknown values are. Think of it like a puzzle, really. For example, if you have an equation like x + 5 = 10, algebra gives you the tools to find that x must be 5. The word itself is quite interesting. "Bija" means seed or element, and "ganit" means mathematics. So, you could think of it as the "mathematics of elements." It’s the foundational math we all start learning in grade school to solve for variables and understand relationships between numbers.