......It was during the end of the semester, our professor asked if we knew
what the word "Alogorithm" stands for, a word which appredred so many times
in our text books. (Big! class size 300+ students) .
None of us knew .... Later, the prof told us ....
Abu Abdullah Mohammad Ibn Musa al-Khawarizmi, 790-850 AD, Very little is
known about his early life.
Al-Khawarizmi ------> Algorizm ----->Algorithm
Al-Khawarizmi was a mathematician, astronomer and geographer. He was perhaps one of the
greatest mathematicians who ever lived, as, in fact, he was the FOUNDER of several
branches and basic concepts of mathematics. In the words of Phillip Hitti, he
influenced mathematical thought to a greater extent than any other mediaeval writer.
His work on algebra was outstanding, as he not only initiated the subject in a systematic
form but he also developed it to the extent of giving analytical solutions of linear and
quadratic equations, which established him as the founder of Algebra. The very name Algebra
has been derived from his famous book Al-Jabr wa-al-Muqabilah. His arithmetic synthesised
Greek and Hindu knowledge and also contained his own contribution of fundamental
importance to mathematics and science. Thus, he explained the use of zero, a numeral
of fundamental importance developed by the Arabs. Similarly, he developed
the decimal system so that the overall system of numerals, 'algorithm' or 'algorizm'
is named after him.
Peace,
TG
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