Unlike geometry, algebra was not developed in Europe. Algebra was actually discovered (or developed) in the Arab countries along side geometry. Many mathematicians worked and developed the system of math to be known as the algebra of today. European countries did not obtain information on algebra until relatively later years of the 12th century. After algebra was discovered in Europe, mathematicians put the information to use in very remarkable ways. Also, algebraic and geometric ways of thinking were considered to be two separate parts of math and were not unified until the mid 17th century.
The simplest forms of equations in algebra were actually discovered 2,200 years before Mohamed was born. Ahmes wrote the Rhind Papyrus that described the Egyptian mathematic system of division and multiplication. Pythagoras, Euclid, Archimedes, Erasasth, and other great mathematicians followed Ahmes (“Letters”). Although not very important to the development of algebra, Archimedes (212BC – 281BC), a Greek mathematician, worked on calculus equations and used geometric proofs to prove the theories of mathematics (“Archimedes”).
Although little is known about him, Diophantus (200AD – 284AD), an ancient Greek mathematician, studied equations with variables, starting the equations of algebra that we know today. Diophantus is often known as the “father of algebra” ("Diophantus"). However, many mathematicians still argue that algebra was actually started in the Arab countries by Al Khwarizmi, also known as the “father of algebra” or the “second father of algebra”. Al Khwarizmi did most of his work in the 9th century. Khwarizmi was a scientist, mathematician, astrologer, and author. The term algorithm used in algebra came from his name. Khwarizmi solved linear and quadratic equations, which paved the way for algebra problems that are now taught in middle school and high school. The word algebra even came from his book titled Al-jabr. In his book, he expanded on the knowledge of Greek and Indian sources of math. His book was the major source of algebra being integrated into European disciplines (“Al-Khwarizmi”). Khwarizmi’s most important development, however, was the Arabic number system, which is the number system that we use today. In the Arabic number system, the symbols 1 – 9 are used in combination to ...
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...bsp;Using Analytic Geometry, geometry has been able to be taught in school-books in all grades. Some of the problems that are solved using Rene’s work are vector space, definition of the plane, distance problems, dot products, cross products, and intersection problems. The foundation for Rene’s Analytic Geometry came from his book entitled Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason in the Search for Truth in the Sciences (“Analytic Geomoetry”).
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.
Math is everywhere when most people first think of math or the word “Algebra,” they don’t get too excited. Many people say “Math sucks” or , “When are we ever going to use it in our lives.” The fact is math will be used in our lives quite frequently. For example, if we go watch a softball game all it is, is one giant math problem. Softball math can be used in many
Geometry, a cornerstone in modern civilization, also had its beginnings in Ancient Greece. Euclid, a mathematician, formed many geometric proofs and theories [Document 5]. He also came to one of the most significant discoveries of math, Pi. This number showed the ratio between the diameter and circumference of a circle.
Many people seem to think that math is a stagnant, nite eld consisting of algebra and geometry (the
The Greeks made other mathematical discoveries as well, however. Diophantus was the discoverer of fractions, and was an early scholar of algebra. Diphantus’ algebraic problems would become fruitful and inspiring mental exercises for future mathematicians for many centuries to come, like Plato’s Platonic Solids (Plato identified five three-dimensional shapes that were the only possible convex regular polyhedra) did for future mathematicians as well.
Al-Khwarizmi was originally named Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. His name signifies he was son of moses, father of Jafar. Al-Khwarizmi is known as the Father of Algebra, but Al-Khwarizmi is a more appropriate title. He was born in Baghdad in c. 780 but later died in c. 850. Al-Khwarizmi was a scholar at the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. He was involved in Greek translation of scientific manuscripts and studied algebra, geometry, and astronomy. Going to school and then working at the House of Wisdom, Al-Khwarizmi became very interested in scientific manuscripts, algebra, geometry, and astronomy. In 830 B.C. Al-Khwarizmi wrote a book called, “The Compendious Book on Calculation By Completion and Balancing" in English. This book was said
Although little is known about Euclid's early and personal life, he was known as the forerunner of geometrical knowledge and went on to contribute greatly in the field of mathematics., Euclid was known to have taught the subject of mathematics in Ancient Egypt during the reign of Ptolemy I. He was well-known, having written the most permanent mathematical works of all time, known as the 'Elements' that comprised of the 13 gigantic volumes filled with geometrical theories and knowledge. Euclid’s Elements form one of the most beautiful and influential works of science in the history of humankind. Its beauty lies in its logical development of geometry and other branches of mathema...
"The Foundations of Geometry: From Thales to Euclid." Science and Its Times. Ed. Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Power Search. Web. 20 Dec. 2013.
Euclid Of Alexandria may be the best-known mathematician of the world, he is best known for his work on mathematics The Elements. The fact that his work has survived so long, 2000 years in fact, is a tribute to his mathematical genius, however very little of him is known. Three theories abound as to the true nature of this historical figure. Not all historians agree that Euclid was in fact a historical figure, some argue that the school in Alexandria took up the name Euclid to publish their works. But the more accepted theories are that Euclid was in fact a real historical figure who may have been the leader of a team of mathematicians.
The mathematicians of Pythagoras's school (500 BC to 300 BC) were interested in numbers for their mystical and numerological properties. They understood the idea of primality and were interested in perfect and amicable numbers.
However, it isn't really the math we are inventing, more so the theories and mathematical techniques that we invented. But these techniques would all cease to exist without the rudimentary knowledge of mathematics. If a first grader is shown a derivative, and explained in depth on the concept of derivatives, it will be impossible for the student to ever be successful in that type of mathematics due to the lack of basic mathematical concepts. Calculus consists of a couple steps of calculus, followed by a plethora of steps of algebra. This is where the line between discovered and invented begins to make itself a bit more transparent.
Rene Descartes may have been most famous However, mathematics appealed to him the most for its innate truthfulness and application to other branches of knowledge. Later in his life, he developed both mathematical and philosophical concepts that are still used widely today. Overall, Rene Descartes should be considered one of the most influential mathematicians of all time for his work in analytic geometry, which set the foundation for algebraic, differential, discrete, and computational geometry, as well as his application of mathematics into philosophy.
The history of mathematics has its roots on the African continent. The oldest mathematical object was found in Swaziland Africa. The oldest example of arithmetic was found in Zaire. The 4000 year old, Moscow papyrus, contains geometry, from the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt was the cradle of mathematics. The great Greek mathematicians, including Pythagoras, Thales, and Exodus all acquired much of their mathematics from Egypt, including the notion of zero. This paper will discuss a brief history of mathematics in Africa. Starting with the Lebombo bone and the Ishango Bone, I will then present Egyptian mathematics and end with a discourse on Muslim mathematics in African. “Most histories of mathematics devote only a few pages to Africa and Ancient Egypt... Generally they ignore the history of mathematics in Africa … and give the impression that this history either did not exist or, at least …is not knowable.”
One of the most debated questions throughout human history concerns whether or not math, one of the most useful areas of knowledge, was discovered or invented. Of course, many people have evidence and theories to what they think proves either side, yet the question still remains unanswered. When analyzing this question, it is important to fully understand the difference between the terms “discovered” and “invented”. Discovered can be defined as finding something or someone either unexpectedly or while searching. This is contrasted against the definition for invented which can be defined as creating, designing or producing something that has not existed before. With such different meanings, one must question how it is still unknown whether or not mathematics was found among nature or created in the mind. When developing something so basic as the number systems, did the human race invent math or simply discover the coding already written into the universe? Was math created to describe occurrences in nature or was it the reason patterns in nature occur? To put it more simply, does or does not math exist independent of humans? Did it exist before humans came along, and will it continue to exist after their extinction? There does not seem to be an agreed upon conclusion for these questions, however, it is important to analyze both sides of the argument. Overall, the best question to ask is, how do we know whether or not math is discovered or invented? Using various ways of knowing, examples, theories, and ideas both sides are exposed and reveal that they both are supported by plausible evidence and theories.
Burton, D. (2011). The History of Mathematics: An Introduction. (Seventh Ed.) New York, NY. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The 17th Century saw Napier, Briggs and others greatly extend the power of mathematics as a calculator science with his discovery of logarithms. Cavalieri made progress towards the calculus with his infinitesimal methods and Descartes added the power of algebraic methods to geometry. Euclid, who lived around 300 BC in Alexandria, first stated his five postulates in his book The Elements that forms the base for all of his later Abu Abd-Allah ibn Musa al’Khwarizmi, was born abo...