Al-Khwarizmi
Explore al-Khwarizmi — the mathematician whose work gave us the words 'algebra' and 'algorithm' and revolutionized mathematics across civilizations.
Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi (c. 780–850 CE) was a Persian mathematician, astronomer, and geographer working at the House of Wisdom in Baghdad whose contributions to mathematics are so fundamental that his name lives on in the word "algorithm" and his book title gave us the word "algebra."
Al-Khwarizmi's most influential work, Al-Kitab al-Mukhtasar fi Hisab al-Jabr wal-Muqabala ("The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing"), systematized the solution of linear and quadratic equations into a coherent discipline. The word "algebra" derives from al-jabr ("completion"), one of the two fundamental operations he described. Unlike earlier mathematical traditions that relied on geometric proofs, al-Khwarizmi presented algebra as a practical tool for solving real-world problems — inheritance disputes, land measurement, commercial transactions.
His impact extended far beyond algebra. His treatise on Hindu-Arabic numerals introduced the decimal positional number system — including the concept of zero — to the Islamic world and, through Latin translations, to Europe. The European term "algorithm" is a Latinization of his name. Al-Khwarizmi also produced improved astronomical tables and a pioneering world map. His work exemplifies the Islamic Golden Age at its best: synthesizing knowledge from multiple civilizations (Greek, Indian, Persian) and producing something new and more powerful than any of its sources.