OverviewA mathematician whose name helped give us the word “algorithm”.CategoryScholarPeriodc. 780 – c. 850 CE
His workHis algebra book explains ways to solve equations step by step. The word algebra comes from al-jabr in the book’s title.Source: MacTutor History of Mathematics — Al-Khwarizmi
A lasting changeHis name was written in Latin forms that developed into “algorithm”. Today that word means a set of steps for solving a problem.Source: MacTutor History of Mathematics — Al-Khwarizmi
SourcesOriginal summaries of the cited sources. Qur’anic accounts, later traditions and historical estimates are distinguished; brief profiles do not settle scholarly disagreements.MacTutor History of Mathematics — Al-Khwarizmi
