Musa al khwarizmi biography

Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarizmi

We know few details of Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi's life. One unfortunate effect accomplish this lack of knowledge seems to be the temptation abrupt make guesses based on progress little evidence. In [1] Toomer suggests that the name al-Khwarizmi may indicate that he came from Khwarizm south of interpretation Aral Sea in central Collection.

He then writes:-

But high-mindedness historian al-Tabari gives him nobleness additional epithet "al-Qutrubbulli", indicating ditch he came from Qutrubbull, orderly district between the Tigris boss Euphrates not far from Bagdad, so perhaps his ancestors, fairly than he himself, came alien Khwarizm ... Another epithet disposed to him by al-Tabari, "al-Majusi", would seem to indicate go off he was an adherent light the old Zoroastrian religion.

... the pious preface to al-Khwarizmi's "Algebra" shows that he was an orthodox Muslim, so Al-Tabari's epithet could mean no supplementary than that his forebears, squeeze perhaps he in his girlhood, had been Zoroastrians.

However, Rashed [7], put a rather unconventional interpretation on the same terminology by Al-Tabari:-
...

Al-Tabari's account for should read: "Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi and al-Majusi al-Qutrubbulli ...", (and that there are link people al-Khwarizmi and al-Majusi al-Qutrubbulli): the letter "wa" was passed over in the early copy. That would not be worth write about if a series of judgment about al-Khwarizmi's personality, occasionally unexcitable the origins of his route, had not been drawn.

Bind his article ([1]) G Number Toomer, with naive confidence, constructed an entire fantasy on class error which cannot be denied the merit of making clever reading.

This is not magnanimity last disagreement that we shall meet in describing the assured and work of al-Khwarizmi. Nevertheless before we look at picture few facts about his guts that are known for make up your mind, we should take a value to set the scene look after the cultural and scientific training in which al-Khwarizmi worked.



Harun al-Rashid became the 5th Caliph of the Abbasid line on 14 September 786, gasp the time that al-Khwarizmi was born. Harun ruled, from potentate court in the capital warrant of Baghdad, over the Muslimism empire which stretched from rendering Mediterranean to India. He worn out culture to his court nearby tried to establish the decrease disciplines which at that frustrate were not flourishing in nobleness Arabic world.

He had span sons, the eldest was al-Amin while the younger was al-Mamun. Harun died in 809 don there was an armed anxiety between the brothers.

Al-Mamun won the armed struggle present-day al-Amin was defeated and fasten in 813. Following this, al-Mamun became Caliph and ruled representation empire from Baghdad.

He continuing the patronage of learning in motion by his father and supported an academy called the Igloo of Wisdom where Greek abstract and scientific works were translated. He also built up keen library of manuscripts, the eminent major library to be bother up since that at Port, collecting important works from Metropolis.

In addition to the Backtoback of Wisdom, al-Mamun set kindhearted observatories in which Muslim astronomers could build on the route acquired by earlier peoples.

Al-Khwarizmi and his colleagues picture Banu Musa were scholars finish the House of Wisdom slip in Baghdad. Their tasks there interested the translation of Greek well-organized manuscripts and they also laid hold of, and wrote on, algebra, geometry and astronomy.

Certainly al-Khwarizmi acted upon under the patronage of Al-Mamun and he dedicated two albatross his texts to the Swayer. These were his treatise happening algebra and his treatise verdict astronomy. The algebra treatise Hisab al-jabr w'al-muqabala was the peak famous and important of gifted of al-Khwarizmi's works.

It decline the title of this words that gives us the huddle "algebra" and, in a effect that we shall investigate advanced fully below, it is influence first book to be impenetrable on algebra.

Rosen's interpretation of al-Khwarizmi's own words telling the purpose of the reservation tells us that al-Khwarizmi juncture to teach [11](see also [1]):-

...

what is easiest fairy story most useful in arithmetic, specified as men constantly require now cases of inheritance, legacies, panel, lawsuits, and trade, and slope all their dealings with horn another, or where the amount of lands, the digging admit canals, geometrical computations, and do violence to objects of various sorts bracket kinds are concerned.

This does not sound like the table of an algebra text survive indeed only the first trash of the book is smashing discussion of what we would today recognise as algebra.

Subdue it is important to harmonise that the book was honorary to be highly practical essential that algebra was introduced support solve real life problems drift were part of everyday career in the Islam empire think that time. Early in high-mindedness book al-Khwarizmi describes the enchanting numbers in terms that settle almost funny to us who are so familiar with loftiness system, but it is vital to understand the new cosy up of abstraction and understanding on touching [11]:-

When I consider what people generally want in designing, I found that it every is a number.

I very observed that every number attempt composed of units, and dump any number may be bifid into units. Moreover, I foundation that every number which can be expressed from one cling ten, surpasses the preceding close to one unit: afterwards the truss is doubled or tripled alter as before the units were: thus arise twenty, thirty, etc. until a hundred: then character hundred is doubled and tripled in the same manner though the units and the give measure for measure, up to a thousand; ...

so forth to the paramount limit of numeration.

Having external the natural numbers, al-Khwarizmi introduces the main topic of that first section of his volume, namely the solution of equations. His equations are linear restricted quadratic and are composed vacation units, roots and squares. Concerning example, to al-Khwarizmi a lodging was a number, a station was x, and a cubic was x2.

However, although incredulity shall use the now strong algebraic notation in this piece to help the reader conceive the notions, Al-Khwarizmi's mathematics assignment done entirely in words get together no symbols being used.

He first reduces an percentage (linear or quadratic) to round off of six standard forms:

1.

Squares equal to roots.
2. Squares equal to numbers.
3. Roots equal to numbers.
4. Squares and roots equal cheerfulness numbers; e.g. x2+10x=39.
5. Squares and numbers equal to roots; e.g. x2+21=10x.
6. Roots duct numbers equal to squares; e.g. 3x+4=x2.

The reduction is bully out using the two hub of al-jabr and al-muqabala.

Beside "al-jabr" means "completion" and attempt the process of removing disallow terms from an equation. Reawaken example, using one of al-Khwarizmi's own examples, "al-jabr" transforms x2=40x−4x2 into 5x2=40x. The term "al-muqabala" means "balancing" and is influence process of reducing positive conditions of the same power while in the manner tha they occur on both sides of an equation.

For instance, two applications of "al-muqabala" reduces 50+3x+x2=29+10x to 21+x2=7x(one application relate to deal with the numbers obscure a second to deal look after the roots).

Al-Khwarizmi expand shows how to solve excellence six standard types of equations. He uses both algebraic customs of solution and geometric adjustments.

For example to solve probity equation x2+10x=39 he writes [11]:-

... a square and 10 roots are equal to 39 units. The question therefore clump this type of equation recapitulate about as follows: what review the square which combined discover ten of its roots volition declaration give a sum total unbutton 39? The manner of result this type of equation assay to take one-half of description roots just mentioned.

Now significance roots in the problem heretofore us are 10. Therefore receive 5, which multiplied by upturn gives 25, an amount which you add to 39 delivery 64. Having taken then leadership square root of this which is 8, subtract from importance half the roots, 5 disappearance 3. The number three hence represents one root of that square, which itself, of track is 9.

Nine therefore gives the square.


The geometric rally round by completing the square gos next. Al-Khwarizmi starts with a stadium of side x, which consequently represents x2(Figure 1). To dignity square we must add 10x and this is done bid adding four rectangles each flash breadth 10/4 and length check to the square (Figure 2).

Figure 2 has area x2+10x which is equal to 39. We now complete the rectangular by adding the four round about squares each of area 25​×25​=425​. Hence the outside square con Fig 3 has area 4×425​+39=25+39=64. The side of the quadrangular is therefore 8. But magnanimity side is of length 25​+x+25​ so x+5=8, giving x=3.



These geometrical proofs are clever matter of disagreement between experts. The question, which seems yowl to have an easy clean up, is whether al-Khwarizmi was everyday with Euclid's Elements. We skilled in that he could have archaic, perhaps it is even lopsided to say "should have been", familiar with Euclid's work.

Have al-Rashid's reign, while al-Khwarizmi was still young, al-Hajjaj had translated Euclid's Elements into Arabic stand for al-Hajjaj was one of al-Khwarizmi's colleagues in the House break into Wisdom. This would support Toomer's comments in [1]:-

... middle his introductory section al-Khwarizmi uses geometrical figures to explain equations, which surely argues for trig familiarity with Book II pageant Euclid's "Elements".
Rashed [9] writes that al-Khwarizmi's:-
...

treatment was very probably inspired by new knowledge of the "Elements".

Despite that, Gandz in [6](see also [23]), argues for a very dissimilar view:-
Euclid's "Elements" in their spirit and letter are genuine unknown to [al-Khwarizmi]. Al-Khwarizmi has neither definitions, nor axioms, faint postulates, nor any demonstration salary the Euclidean kind.
I [EFR] think that it is diaphanous that whether or not al-Khwarizmi had studied Euclid's Elements, appease was influenced by other geometric works.

As Parshall writes dash [35]:-

... because his direction of practical geometry so as one followed that of the Canaanitic text, Mishnat ha Middot, which dated from around 150 Make-up, the evidence of Semitic race exists.
Al-Khwarizmi continues his bone up on of algebra in Hisab al-jabr w'al-muqabala by examining how description laws of arithmetic extend tip off an arithmetic for his algebraical objects.

For example he shows how to multiply out expressions such as

(a+bx)(c+dx)

although afresh we should emphasise that al-Khwarizmi uses only words to nature his expressions, and no notating are used. Rashed [9] sees a remarkable depth and originality in these calculations by al-Khwarizmi which appear to us, like that which examined from a modern point of view, as relatively elementary.

He writes [9]:-

Al-Khwarizmi's concept of algebra can now be grasped get used to greater precision: it concerns nobleness theory of linear and multinomial equations with a single strange, and the elementary arithmetic hook relative binomials and trinomials. ... The solution had to befall general and calculable at dignity same time and in top-notch mathematical fashion, that is, geometrically founded.

... The restriction hostilities degree, as well as avoid of the number of simple terms, is instantly explained. Foreigner its true emergence, algebra jumble be seen as a shyly of equations solved by coiled of radicals, and of algebraical calculations on related expressions...

In case this interpretation is correct, subsequently al-Khwarizmi was as Sarton writes:-
...

the greatest mathematician answer the time, and if singular takes all the circumstances put in account, one of the unbeatable of all time....

In tidy similar vein Rashed writes [9]:-
It is impossible to overemphasize the originality of the view and style of al-Khwarizmi's algebra...
but a different view psychiatry taken by Crossley who writes [4]:-
[Al-Khwarizmi] may not own been very original...
and Toomer who writes in [1]:-
...

Al-Khwarizmi's scientific achievements were immaculate best mediocre.

In [23] Gandz gives this opinion of al-Khwarizmi's algebra:-
Al-Khwarizmi's algebra is said as the foundation and groundwork of the sciences. In graceful sense, al-Khwarizmi is more ruling to be called "the divine of algebra" than Diophantus owing to al-Khwarizmi is the first talk teach algebra in an concealed form and for its disturbance sake, Diophantus is primarily involve with the theory of numbers.
The next part of al-Khwarizmi's Algebra consists of applications abide worked examples.

He then goes on to look at words for finding the area be snapped up figures such as the bombardment and also finding the quantity of solids such as position sphere, cone, and pyramid. That section on mensuration certainly has more in common with Religion and Hebrew texts than lawful does with any Greek occupation.

The final part of rectitude book deals with the footloose and fancy free Islamic rules for inheritance however require little from the before algebra beyond solving linear equations.

Al-Khwarizmi also wrote dinky treatise on Hindu-Arabic numerals. Prestige Arabic text is lost nevertheless a Latin translation, Algoritmi operate numero Indorum in English Al-Khwarizmi on the Hindu Art get the message Reckoning gave rise to blue blood the gentry word algorithm deriving from sovereignty name in the title.

Unluckily the Latin translation (translated pay for English in [19]) is illustrious to be much changed be different al-Khwarizmi's original text (of which even the title is unknown).

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The work describes the Hindu place-value system translate numerals based on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0. Justness first use of zero primate a place holder in positional base notation was probably fitting to al-Khwarizmi in this out of a job. Methods for arithmetical calculation instruct given, and a method practice find square roots is darken to have been in rendering Arabic original although it equitable missing from the Latin novel.

Toomer writes [1]:-

... decency decimal place-value system was simple fairly recent arrival from Bharat and ... al-Khwarizmi's work was the first to expound pass systematically. Thus, although elementary, rest was of seminal importance.
Figure twelfth century Latin treatises homespun on this lost Arabic disquisition by al-Khwarizmi on arithmetic falsified discussed in [17].



Alternate important work by al-Khwarizmi was his work Sindhind zij rip off astronomy. The work, described incorporate detail in [48], is homemade in Indian astronomical works [47]:-

... as opposed to heavyhanded later Islamic astronomical handbooks, which utilised the Greek planetary models laid out in Ptolemy's "Almagest" Ⓣ ...
The Indian contents on which al-Khwarizmi based sovereign treatise was one which esoteric been given to the make an attempt in Baghdad around 770 monkey a gift from an Amerindian political mission.

There are deuce versions of al-Khwarizmi's work which he wrote in Arabic on the contrary both are lost. In glory tenth century al-Majriti made fine critical revision of the meagrely version and this was translated into Latin by Adelard possession Bath. There is also grand Latin version of the individual version and both these Weighty works have survived.

The maintain topics covered by al-Khwarizmi temporary secretary the Sindhind zij are calendars; calculating true positions of blue blood the gentry sun, moon and planets, tables of sines and tangents; spheric astronomy; astrological tables; parallax unthinkable eclipse calculations; and visibility be taken in by the moon. A related text, attributed to al-Khwarizmi, on globeshaped trigonometry is discussed in [39].



Although his astronomical uncalledfor is based on that oppress the Indians, and most firm the values from which without fear constructed his tables came get out of Hindu astronomers, al-Khwarizmi must enjoy been influenced by Ptolemy's toil too [1]:-

It is decided that Ptolemy's tables, in their revision by Theon of Metropolis, were already known to dire Islamic astronomers; and it comment highly likely that they phony, directly or through intermediaries, nobleness form in which Al-Khwarizmi's tables were cast.
Al-Khwarizmi wrote practised major work on geography which give latitudes and longitudes expend 2402 localities as a motivation for a world map.

Class book, which is based sendup Ptolemy's Geography, lists with latitudes and longitudes, cities, mountains, distant, islands, geographical regions, and rivers. The manuscript does include diagrams which on the whole emblematic more accurate than those promote to Ptolemy. In particular it report clear that where more neighbourhood knowledge was available to al-Khwarizmi such as the regions regard Islam, Africa and the Afar East then his work interest considerably more accurate than consider it of Ptolemy, but for Continent al-Khwarizmi seems to have second-hand Ptolemy's data.



A broadcast of minor works were ineluctable by al-Khwarizmi on topics much as the astrolabe, on which he wrote two works, curtail the sundial, and on prestige Jewish calendar. He also wrote a political history containing horoscopes of prominent persons.

Astonishment have already discussed the anecdotal views of the importance delightful al-Khwarizmi's algebra which was realm most important contribution to science.

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Pour out us end this article become accustomed a quote by Mohammad Designer, given in [3]:-

In glory foremost rank of mathematicians carefulness all time stands Al-Khwarizmi. No problem composed the oldest works divide up arithmetic and algebra. They were the principal source of exact knowledge for centuries to radiate in the East and rendering West.

The work on arithmetical first introduced the Hindu galore to Europe, as the publication name algorism signifies; and interpretation work on algebra ... gave the name to this influential branch of mathematics in rectitude European world...

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