In the House of Wisdom in Baghdad under the caliph al-Ma'mun, the Persian scholar Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi wrote Al-Kitab al-mukhtasar fi hisab al-jabr wa'l-muqabala, 'The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing', around 820. It presents systematic methods for solving linear and quadratic equations with worked examples about inheritance, trade and land measurement. The word 'al-jabr' gave us algebra, and the author's name, Latinised, gives us 'algorithm'. His book on Hindu numerals, translated into Latin in the twelfth century, introduced the decimal number system to Europe.
Before and after
- 814 CEDeath of Abu Nuwas
- 28 January 814 CEDeath of Charlemagne
- c. 818 CEOrigins of the Imam Reza Shrine
- from 819 CE to 999 CESamanid dynasty
- c. 820sAl-Khwarizmi writes the book that gives algebra its name
- from 821 CE to 873 CETahirid dynasty
- 823 CEOrigins of Shingon Buddhism
- 13 June 823 CEBirth of Charles the Bald
- 828 CEConstruction of St Mark's Basilica
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This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 9th century.