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Muslim mathematicians and their contributions
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Muslim Times to Now Muslims were very interested in astronomy, many of their discoveries helped us to learn more today. The moon and the sun are very important to daily life in Muslim culture. By looking at the moon they were able to tell the start and end of their lunar calendar. Looking at the sun helped them to calculate times of prayer and fasting. Astronomy also helped them to calculate which way Makkah was because that was the direction in which they needed to pray. They also discovered many new stars. This also inspired them to learn more about the heavens. Lastly, Muslims were the first to build observatories. The Muslims interest in astronomy was vital to our discoveries today. Today, we still use many of the Muslims discoveries. …show more content…
The Muslims invented the symbol for zero (0). They also put the numbers into the decimal system, base 10. The first great Muslim mathematician was Al-Khawarizmi. He invented algebra, which later was further developed by Umar Khayyam. Mathematicians also excelled in geometry. Al-Biruni established trigonometry, other mathematicians made progress in number theory. The Muslims influence on mathematics is still used today. Many of the theories they developed are still taught in school today. Algebra is still part of something that everyone learns in school. Now there are also many different forms of algebra. Trigonometry is still taught in school today, and so is geometry. Much of the mathematics discoveries are still taught and learned in school today. Muslims were very interested in geography. Their interest in geography began with their religion. The Qur’an encouraged people to travel the world in order to see god’s beauty and his beautiful creations. The Muslim faith required people to at least know the direction of Makkah, which was in the direction they needed to pray at least five times a day. They also used geography on pilgrimages. In 1166, Al-Idrisi, made very accurate maps. He made a map of the world that included famous cities, rivers, continents, and mountains. The first geographer to ever produce a map in color was
The Aztecs also used mathematics for astronomy. Kind of amazing right? Although most of their information in math astronomy was lost there is a pretty good synthesis of the remaining information in the book “Skywatchers” by Anthony Aveni. For example the Aztecs calculated that the cycle of Venus was 584 days. The aztecs even did the math to workout out the eclipse season although they didn’t know the shape of the earth or the size. Even though they figured out when
“Recovering and preserving the learning of ancient civilizations of Mediterranean…. Greek learning had been lost to the peoples of western Europe. Thanks to Muslim…the priceless writings of the Greeks on …. (everything) was saved” (Source 2). Because of the Muslims curiosity to learn and preserve other cultures they saved what could have been lost forever. But they also perfected most of what the Greeks got wrong in the medical and mathematic department, but they wouldn’t have been able to perfect it without studying and questioning (why was this the way it is?). “The many Muslim accomplishments in these areas included major corrections to the algebraic and geometric theories of the ancient Greeks and great advances in the use of basic concepts of trigonometry.” (Source 3). So, what the world learned from Muslims was questioning things and finding better ways to get that answers we
Natural philosophy might have played a much smaller role in Islamic science but is not to be overlooked. Al ma’mun built observatories as high as three stories in order to gain a better understanding of the cosmos. With these tools, Islamic astronomers made accurate descriptions of the heavens and created their own geocentric views of the orbits of the heavenly bodies. Attached to many of these observatories were great libraries. Islamic libraries contained a wealth of knowledge which was taken from other civilizations and translated to Arabic such as the House of Wisdom. These libraries had upwards of 2 million books, a massive accomplishment considering they did not have movable type. The Islamic Empire also saw great advances in mathematical understanding with the creation of trigonometry and algebra.
Along with Muhammad’s influence on Islam, trade routes also provided a significant impact on the spread of Islam. The most important and remembered trade routes were the Silk Roads and the Indian Ocean trade route. In these trade routes, along w...
...or spreading Islam. Advancements in Science and Math helped Islam to move faster. Islam was uniquely successful to attract people towards it where bloodshed was rarely required.
Astronomy and religions rooted in the stars are present in every culture. Astronomy evolved from a heavily religious context of astrology and divination to modern astronomy, and became what it is today because of a necessity of using it for long term timekeeping, record keeping, city planning and agriculture. The use of astronomy as a basis of time allows for a degree of predictability that was not previously present in other forms of timekeeping. Astronomy is the use of mathematics to understand and predict the movement of the moon and stars. While astrology and divination takes those same elements from astronomy and adds a spiritual element.
...ime period in a positive scientific light. The distinction between modern and medieval science was described as medieval science being more theoretical in nature and modern being of the more applied variety. Through the further presentation of the plethora of Islamic scientists, covering fields as diverse as astronomy, medicine, chemistry, and physics it has been shown, without a doubt, that significant scientific contributions were made in this period. Finally, the source of this misconception was exposed through the common accidental perception of the past as a European narrative. History can easily be focused around Europe, and to do so produces a view of the medieval era being stagnant. However, when one looks at the greater global picture, it is clear that the Islamic world more than makes up for this lull in innovation, successfully brightening the “Dark Age”.
The Hereford World Map is the world’s oldest surviving map of the world; it was made in 1300, during the beginning of the Renaissance in Europe. There was a wider range of influences on mapping during the later medieval period. With an increase in exploration, Europe began to evolve into an international continent; widespread travel can be seen by the influences of the Islamic world on architecture. While map making in China had flourished in the 11th C, mapping was beginning to evolve in Europe. By around 1400 there was a peak in map making in Europe. There is evidence of the influence of Roman mapping on medieval maps in Europe. The Medieval world maps but together information from Roman sources to make the world maps in the middle ages known as the mappa mundi, meaning cloth of the world. These were cloth maps, and the name mappa mundi was widely used for them. These world maps were understood by historians as an attempt to show where countries were located, quite often they were not just geographical representations but they were also stories of the world. As knowledge of map making increased during the Renaissance, was a move for wider representations of information on maps. The map became a source of information on the animals and history of the different countries. This can be seen in The Hereford World Map, a map that gives a geometrical representation of the locations of the known countries of the world and also acted as an encyclopaedia of information on various types of animals and where in the world they came from.
In conclusion, it is clear that while their ancient civilization perished long ago, the contributions that the Egyptians made to mathematics have lived on. The Egyptians were practical in their approach to mathematics, and developed arithmetic and geometry in response to transactions they carried out in business and agriculture on a daily basis. Therefore, as a civilization that created hieroglyphs, the decimal system, and hieratic writing and numerals, the contributions of the Egyptians to the study of mathematics cannot and should not be overlooked.
The history of algebra is very complex and went through many centuries of development to the algebra that we know today. Algebra is still being developed and will never quit being developed and added on to. Algebra is a relatively new form of math in the European countries and the Americas. Algebra helped mathematicians and scientists to develop many tools and theorems that people over the world use on a daily basis. Although algebra and geometry were considered separate subsets of math, the two subjects are now unified. Who knows what inventions and discoveries will be made with algebra in the future if mathematicians continue to study the discipline of mathematics.
...roups that have been important to astronomy are the Akkadians, Egyptians, Chinese, Polynesians, and the Greeks. They used astronomy for navigation at sea, creating accurate calendars, making new inventions, and many more things! Some modern jobs in astronomy include Educational, Private industries, National Observatories and Laboratories. Also, some technical advances because of astronomy include many telescopes, tracking programs used by FedEx, and IRAF which is used to analyze computer systems. Even though astronomy is an incredibly interesting field, there are minimum job opportunities. Some of the jobs are included in the following fields: education, national observatories and laboratories, or in private industries. Astronomy has been the key to unlocking many new inventions and by connecting things from the past, to the present, and going into the future.
The basic of mathematics was inherited by the Greeks and independent by the Greeks beg the major Greek progress in mathematics was from 300 BC to 200 AD. After this time progress continued in Islamic countries Unlike the Babylonians, the Egyptians did not develop fully their understanding of mathematics. Instead, they concerned themselves with practical applications of mathematics. Mathematics flourished in particular in Iran, Syria and India from 450B.C. Major progress in mathematics in Europe began again at the beginning of the 16th Century.
Ibn al Haytham was a Muslim innovator born in 965 in Basra. He is also known as Alhazen and The First Scientist. In his time, Alhazen was able to invent the first pinhole camera and a camera obscura. Before Alhazen, scientists believed that they did not have to scientifically prove their findings, however, he knew better. Every experiment or hypothesis Alhazen came up with, he submitted it to a physical test and/or proof using mathematic equations. (“Arab Inventors”)
The Achievements of The Islamic Civilization Islam, one of the most successful religions was started by Muhammad in Arabia and had a massive impact on the world. If it weren't for Islam the world would have been a very different place to live in. Muslims didn't always invent things; sometimes they improved on other people's inventions e.g. the number system, the astrolabe and much more. The first Muslims were Arabs and they went on to conquer many countries.
In Part I of this series I came forward with few of the literary wondrous contributions of Muslim scientists and their vast knowledge in different fields of science, however in this second part I’ll put forth more of their invented devices specifically in Engineering and Astrology. All of these devices have been invented by Muslim scientists who not only contributed in