After a few centuries his work helped get europe out of the dark ages. Alkhwarizmis hisab aljabr walmuqabala devoted a chapter on the solution to the islamic law of inheritance using algebra. Diophantus frequently dealt with cubic and higher power equations, up to x 9. Muhammad alkhwarizmi, the father of algebra muhammad ibn musa alkhwarizmi was a 9thcentury muslim mathematician and astronomer. He was known for writing major works on astronomy and mathematics that introduced hinduarabic numerals and the idea of algebra to european scholars. Muhammad ibn musa al khwarizmi was a persian mathematician, astronomer, astrologer geographer and a scholar in the house of wisdom in baghdad.
It is true that in two respects the work of alkhwarizmi represented a retrogression from that of diophantus. I mean, look at babylonian mathematics, no one ever recognized them as the well, we dont know who invented it, so. Al khwarizmi s popularizing treatise on algebra the compendious book on calculation by completion and balancing, ca. Roshdi rashed has produced the first arabic critical edition of alkhwarizmis work, containing an annotated. Several of his books were translated into latin in the early 12th century. Alkhwarizmi studied and worked during the first half of the 9th century. The compendious book on calculation by completion and balancing.
Abu jafar muhammad ibn musa al khwarizmi lived in baghdad, around 780 to 850 ce or ad. His works was brought to western world through latin translation that had been conducted in the 12th century. His book on geography was entitled kitab surat al ard, which included maps. What little is known of diophantuss life is circumstantial. Alkhwarizmi has been called the father of algebra in fact, the word algebra comes from the arabic title of his most important book. Alkhwarizmis popularizing treatise on algebra the compendious book on calculation by completion and balancing, c. Gandz and saloman 1936, the sources of alkhwarizmis algebra, osiris i, p. He wrote works on clocks, astrolabes, and sundails. Contribution of alkhwarizmi to mathematics and geography.
In a sense, al khwarizmi is more entitled to be called the father of algebra than diophantus because al khwarizmi is the first to teach algebra in an elementary form and for its own sake, while diophantus is primarily concerned with the theory of numbers. There are two important men that have contributed a lot to algebra. Brahmagupta and al khwarizmi s crucial contribution is the concept of the general solution of an equation. Brahmagupta and alkhwarizmis crucial contribution is the concept of the general solution of an equation. Alkhwarizmi is arguably the most important mathematician of the middle ages. Besides his founding the science of jabr, he made major contributions in astronomy and mathematical geography. This book was later titled the hindu art of reckoning. Unfortunately, those books got perished over the centuries.
Even numbers were written out in words rather than symbols. He developed two distinct branches of mathematics, both of which owe their name to. In addition to an important treatise on astronomy, al khwarizmi wrote a book on astronomical tables, which were also translated into european languages and, later, into chinese. He is sometimes called the father of algebra, and wrote an influential series of books called the arithmetica, a collection of algebraic problems which greatly influenced the subsequent development of number theory. He also had books on arithmetic, astronomy, trigonometry, and geography to name a few. In a sense, al khwarizmi is more entitled to be called the father of algebra than diophantus because al khwarizmi is the first to teach algebra in an elementary form and for its own sake, diophantus is primarily concerned with the theory of numbers. In it, he showed how to solve linear and quadratic equations, and for many centuries, it was the main mathematics textbook at. In a sense, khwarizmi is more entitled to be called the father of algebra than diophantus because khwarizmi is the first to teach algebra in an elementary form and for its own sake, diophantus is primarily concerned with the theory of numbers. The work on arabic numerals highlights the decimal positional number system. Alkhwarizmi, a pioneering astronomer and mathematician. Al khwarizmi s algebra kitab al jabr wa al muqabala, written around 820, was the first scientific text in history to systematically present algebra as a mathematical discipline that is independent of geometry and arithmetic. Diophantus may have contributed to algebra, but it was definitely alkhwarizmi, in my eyes, that really has created algebra. Muhammad ibn musa alkhwarizmi the reader wiki, reader view. In fact, his book on arithmetic, kitab al jama wal tafriq bilhisab al hindi, was lost in arabic but survived in a latin translation.
Al khwarizmi is arguably the most important mathematician of the middle ages. Consequently he is considered to be the father of algebra, a title he shares with diophantus. Sep 03, 20 the islamic law of inheritance served as an impetus behind the development of algebra derived from the arabic aljabr by muhammad ibn musa alkhwarizmi and other medieval islamic mathematicians. Muhammad ibn musa alkhwarizmi biography, facts and pictures. Al khwarizmi also was the first to attempt to get a measurement of the volume and circumference of the earth. Al khwarizmi s text can be seen to be distinct not only from the babylonian tablets, but also from diophantus arithmetica. The inventor of algebra great muslim philosophers and scientists of the middle ages corona brezina on. Sep 17, 2014 abu abdallah muhammad ibn musa alkhwarizmi, better known as alkhwarizmi, was a persian mathematician born in the latter part of the 8 th century ce.
As you read on the home page, alkhwarizmi invented the arabic number system. One of his principal achievements in algebra was his demonstration of how to solve quadratic equations by completing the square, for which he provided geometric justifications. Al khwarizmi was a nineteenth century eminent and multifaceted persian mathematician, geographer and astronomer. Known for being the father of algebra, diophantus was an eminent alexandrian greek mathematician. In the house of wisdom of baghdad he was a scholar. In the 12 th century, when his book was translated into latin, europe began to become familiar with his work. Al khwarizmi was known for the book he wrote about algebra, compendious book on calculation by completion and balancing. Al khwarizmi was one of the learned men who worked in the house of wisdom. Nevertheless, the al jabr comes closer to the elementary algebra of today than the works of either diophantus or brahmagupta, because the book is not concerned with difficult problems in indeterminant analysis but with a straight forward and elementary exposition of the solution of equations. His astronomical tables were also translated into european. One of his greatest works was compendious book on calculation by completion and balancing. His work changed the understanding and knowledge of mathematics in the middle ages and mathematicians in europe read his book. Al khwarizmi s algebra is regarded as the foundation and cornerstone of the sciences.
Diophantus was a hellenistic greek or possibly egyptian, jewish or even chaldean mathematician who lived in alexandria during the 3rd century ce. Alkhwarizmis other important contribution was algebra, a word derived from the title of a mathematical text he published in about 830 called alkitab almukhtasar fi hisab aljabr walmuqabala the compendious book on calculation by completion and balancing. Muhammad ibn musa al khwarizmi and diophantus of alexandria. Mar 29, 2019 al khwarizmi was also known as abu jafar muhammad ibn musa al khwarizmi. He wrote countless books on the subject of mathematics and the series of books were titled airthmetica. This carefully crafted biography shines a longoverdue light on these achievements, documents khwarizmi s contributions to geography and astronomy, and. Alkhwarizmi was a mathematician and astronomer of the ad 800s. Diophantus mathematician biography, contributions and facts. In this article, focus is laid on his mathematical work in the field of algebra and his contribution.
He was one of the first to write about algebra using words, not letters. From the appellation of alexandria it seems that he worked in the main scientific centre of the ancient greek world. Latinized versions of his name and of his most famous book title live on in the terms algorithm and algebra. Also, neither of them used the symbolic algebra diophantus had pioneered. Alkhwarizmis algebra kitab aljabr waalmuqabala, written around 820, was the first scientific text in history to systematically present algebra as a mathematical discipline that is independent of geometry and arithmetic. It is quite unlikely that al khwarizmi knew of the work of diophantus, but he must have been familiar with at least the astronomical and computational portions of brahmagupta. He also wrote a book which taught the western world about hindu numerals and how to use them.
Alkhwarizmis algebra kitab aljabr waalmuqabala, written around 820, was the first scientific text in history to systematically present algebra as a mathematical discipline that. Although i believe that both diophantus and al khwarizmi contributed greatly to the math world, i think that al khwarizmi should be considered the father of algebra. Muhammad ibn musa al khwarizmi is one of the greatest scientific minds of the medieval period and a most important muslim mathematician who was justly called the father of algebra. Al khwarizmi mathematician biography, contributions and. Muhammad alkhwarizmi has 205 books on goodreads, and recently added how linux works. Al khwarizmi influenced mathematical thought more than any other writer of his time. Sep 01, 2005 al khwarizmi is arguably the most important mathematician of the middle ages.
With his books, alkhwarizmi authored astronomical tables tables designed to calculate the position of planets or eclipses. Al khwarizmi performed detailed calculations of the positions of the sun, moon, and planets, and did a number of eclipse calculations. The latinized version of his name gave us the term algorithm, and the title of his most famous and important work gave. He developed two distinct branches of mathematics, both of which owe their name to him. Al khwarizmi mathematician biography, contributions and facts. It no longer concerns a series of problems to be resolved, but an exposition which starts with primitive terms in which the combinations must give all possible prototypes for equations, which henceforward explicitly. Alkhwarizmi wanted to go from the specific problems considered by the indians and chinese to a more general way of. Diophantus, greek mathematician, famous for his work in algebra. Muhammad ibn musa alkhwarizmi wikipedia republished wiki 2. Alkhwarizmi simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. What every superuser should know by brian ward, a commonsense guid.