Turning Points · c. 820 CE
The Book That Gave Us Algebra
Baghdad, Abbasid Caliphate (today's Iraq; the House of Wisdom's exact site is not known)
What happened
In Baghdad, Caliph al-Mamun founded the House of Wisdom, where Greek science and philosophy books were translated. Around 820 CE, the mathematician al-Khwarizmi wrote a book on solving equations. He wrote it out in words and used no math symbols.
Why it matters
The word algebra comes from al-jabr, a word in the book's title. He wrote it for everyday needs such as inheritance, trade, measuring land and digging canals.
What came next
Robert of Chester translated the book into Latin in 1145, and it was used until the 1500s. The word algorithm comes from al-Khwarizmi's name.
Did you know?
Al-Khwarizmi also wrote a geography book giving the latitude and longitude of 2,402 places.
Timeline
- c. 820 CEAl-Khwarizmi writes his book on al-jabr.
- 1145Robert of Chester translates it into Latin.
- 1500sIt is used in Europe until about this time.