Baghdad is an ancient city, which at one time was the capital of the Muslim world. He gathered in himself the learned minds from all over the East. Al Khorezmi's biography was associated with this city. For ordinary people, this person is known as the "father of algebra." It was he who began to use Indian numbers, which today are called Arabic. What else is known about this scientist?
Name Information
The full name of the scientist is Abu Abdullah Mohammed Ben Musa Al Khorezmi. The biography can be revealed a little thanks to the analysis of the individual parts of the name:
- Abdullah's father;
- Muhammad is a personal name;
- Musa's son;
- originally from Khorezmi.
In some sources, the man was called Al Majusi. Translated, this name means "magician." Such information indicates that the ancestors of the scientist were priests of the Zoroastrian religion. It was common in Central Asia.
Place of Birth
Disputes regarding the scientist’s birthplace are still ongoing. Most sources write that Khorezm was his homeland. The conclusion is connected with the nickname. However, many researchers are inclined to assume that the ancestors of Al Khorezmi, whose biography is associated with the Arab world, came out of this area .
Wherever a scientist was born, his whole life and activity was connected with Baghdad. This city became the center of trade and culture of the whole East in the fifth-ninth century.
Biographical Information
The date of his birth, as well as death, is not exactly known. Researchers believe that he was born in 783, and died in 850. But these dates are conditional.
A scientist lived and worked in Baghdad. It is believed that he could be invited to the city by the governor of the eastern provinces, and later by Caliph Al Mamun. It happened after 813. Al Khorezmi (biography related to the "House of Wisdom") worked in the library. At one time he headed the library.
Other famous people of that time worked with him. For example, the astronomer Abu l-Abbas Ahmad. Muhammad Al Khorezmi (a brief biography is presented in the article), together with his fellow scientists, paid special attention to the achievements of ancient Greek science. They collected and translated into Arabic the works of the classics. In addition, they conducted independent research in various fields of science.
There is evidence that living in Baghdad, Al Khorezmi made two trips: he visited the Khazars and Byzantium. In 847, he was present at the death of Caliph Al Wasik.
More information about the life of a scientist can be found only from the works of Al Khorezmi.
Scientific activity
Muhammad Al Khorezmi, whose biography is not fully known, made a significant contribution to such sciences as mathematics, astronomy, geography, and geodesy. Together with other scientists, he measured the extent of the degree of the meridian. He was able to clarify the size of the circumference of our planet, which has been known since ancient times. Al Khorezmi and his colleagues found the arc value of one degree, which turned out to be close to one hundred and eleven kilometers. To do this, in 827, he visited the Sinjar desert.
Proceedings
Al Khorezmi (his biography is related to science) was the author of nine books. Only seven of them have survived to this day. Some texts were written by the scientist himself, others were preserved in the form of translations into Latin.
The main works of the scientist:
- "On completion and opposition." The work was important for the history of mathematics. From one of the words, which was part of the original name of the work, came the name of the mathematical section “algebra”. The original text of the work has been lost. The content has been preserved thanks to the Latin translation of the twelfth century, which was written by Robert of Chester. The English mathematician called his translation "A book on algebra." It is currently stored in Cambridge. Labor was to become the initial guide to practical mathematics. The theoretical part considers equations of the first and second degree. The last two parts of the book contain the practical application of algebra.
- "About the Indian account." The work contributed to the popularization of Arabic numerals throughout the Caliphate. The Arabic text is not preserved, but there is a Latin translation of the twelfth century. Unfortunately, he could not convey all the nuances of the original work. The book had a huge impact in the East and West. The work describes how to find a decimal number, which consists of zero and nine Arabic numerals. Two hundred years after the book appeared, the Indian system began to be used throughout the Islamic world. By mistake, they began to call them Arab. Today in Russia they use them.
- "Picture of the Earth . " Labor was the first geographical work in Arabic. He developed a science like mathematical geography. In the work, the scientist described the inhabited part of the planet, presented a map with more than two thousand settlements. In his work, he relied on the works of Greek scientists, but supplemented them with new data. In the book he gave definitions of latitude and longitude. Al Khorezmi also initiated scientific expeditions to Khazaria, Afghanistan, and Byzantium.
- "Astronomical tables." In the East, astronomy could not be dispensed with. Her knowledge was required for irrigated agriculture, maritime trade. The book of the Arab scholar did not survive. It is known that labor began with a chronology and a calendar. Thanks to the calendar, it was possible to determine the exact dating. Al Khorezmi used the Islamic Julian calendar. To count the time, he took the meridian, which passed through a place called Arin. Some researchers believe that the area was located in India.
The scientist also created two works on astrolabe, the sundial, and the Jewish calendar. His political history includes horoscopes of famous personalities.
Memory
Al Khorezmi (a brief biography is described above) is especially revered in Uzbekistan. In 1983, the 1,200th anniversary of an outstanding scientist was celebrated in this country. In several states, there are streets named after Al Khorezmi. In Iran and Uzbekistan there are universities bearing the name of mathematician.
Of course, to create his works, the scientist could use the results that were obtained by his predecessors. But this does not reduce the importance of his work. His book on mathematics has been the main guide to algebra for several centuries. It was used by scientists from Europe and Asia.