# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Astro*Dictionary by Michael Erlewine

 

 

 

 

1 article for "al-Khwarizmi"

al-Khwarizmi [Astro*Index]

(al-khwah'riz-mi)

(780?-850?) Arabian mathematician. Born at Khwarizm (Khiva), USSR.

His writings preserved and extended the mathematics of Diophantus. His introduction of the Hindu zero and numerals (which are mistakenly called "Arabic Numerals") introduced a notation which had a profound effect on the development of mathematics, freeing scientific investigators from the cumbersome calculations which had hampered other civilizations (Egyptian, Babylonian, and Indian). His work on world geography, based on that of Ptolemy, was supported by Caliph Mamum, who ruled Bagdad from 813 to 833, and under whose rule Bagdad reached its zenith.

 

Astro*Index Copyright © 1997 Michael Erlewine