Muḥammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi died in 850 CE in Baghdad, aged about 70. A Persian mathematician, astronomer and geographer, al-Khwarizmi worked in Baghdad at the House of Wisdom under the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun. His book on calculation by completion and balancing, Al-jabr, gave its name to algebra and set out methods for solving linear and quadratic equations. A second work introduced the Indian decimal place-value system, using the numerals now called Hindu-Arabic, to the Islamic world and later to Europe, and the word algorithm comes from the Latin form of his name. He also compiled astronomical tables and improved on Ptolemy's geography.
Before and after
- 848 CEConstruction of Great Mosque of Samarra
- 849 CEBirth of Alfred the Great
- 850 CEOrigins of Chan Chan
- 850 CEConstruction of Prambanan Temple
- 850 CEDeath of Muḥammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi
- from c. 850s to 950sThe Classic Maya collapse
- c. 850sGunpowder is invented in China
- 859 CEFounding of University of al-Qarawiyyin
- 860 CEConstruction of Alamut Castle
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The era
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.