Al-Khwarizmi

c. 780 – c. 850 · exact dates unknown^[1][2]

Science & Invention

Fun Facts About Al-Khwarizmi

• Al-Khwarizmi gave English two words: algebra comes from the title of his book Al-Jabr, and algorithm from Algoritmi, the Latin form of his name.^[1]
• Al-Khwarizmi's algebra used no symbols: he wrote out problems and solutions in ordinary text, and even the numbers were written as words.^[1]
• Al-Khwarizmi's arithmetic methods were designed for a dust board, a board covered with dust or sand, and were used for almost three centuries.^[1]
• Al-Khwarizmi corrected Ptolemy's gross overestimate of the length of the Mediterranean Sea, from 63 degrees of longitude to nearly 50.^[1]
• Translated into Latin in 1145, al-Khwarizmi's Al-Jabr was the main mathematics textbook of European universities until the 16th century.^[1]
• Around 820, al-Khwarizmi became astronomer and head of the library of the House of Wisdom in Baghdad. He also helped make a world map for the caliph, overseeing 70 geographers.^[1]
• Al-Khwarizmi was alive at the same time as Charlemagne — their lives overlapped for about 34 years (c. 780–814).^[1][2][3][4]

Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, or simply al-Khwarizmi was a mathematician active during the Islamic Golden Age, who produced Arabic-language works in mathematics, astronomy, and geography. Around 820, he worked at the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, the contemporary capital city of the Abbasid Caliphate. One of the most prominent scholars of the period, his works were widely influential on later authors, both in the Islamic world and Europe.^[1]

Contemporaries

Charlemagne

34 yr overlap

Questions About Al-Khwarizmi

When was Al-Khwarizmi born?

Al-Khwarizmi was born about 780 and died about 850. The exact dates are not known.

What was Al-Khwarizmi known for?

Al-Khwarizmi was known for: Mathematician whose name gave us algorithm. Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi, or simply al-Khwarizmi was a mathematician active during the Islamic Golden Age, who produced Arabic-language works in mathematics, astronomy, and geography. Around 820, he worked at the House of Wisdom in Baghdad, the contemporary capital city of the Abbasid Caliphate. One of the most prominent scholars of the period, his works were widely influential on later authors, both in the Islamic world and Europe.

Who was alive at the same time as Al-Khwarizmi?

Al-Khwarizmi's closest contemporary was Charlemagne. Their lives overlapped for 34 years.