Al-Khowarizmi

Al-Khowarizmi (äl-khōwärēz'mē) [key], fl. 820, Arab mathematician of the court of Mamun in Baghdad. His treatises on Hindu arithmetic and on algebra made him famous. He is said to have given algebra its name, and the word algorithm is said to have been derived from his name. Much of the mathematical knowledge of medieval Europe was derived from Latin translations of his works.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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