Algorithms have become an indispensable part of today’s technology era. From social media applications to Netflix, algorithms analyze user preferences and prioritize content displayed to each individual. Google Maps and artificial intelligence would be meaningless without algorithms.
But are algorithms a product born in the modern age? Over 1,000 years before the internet and smartphones, the Persian scholar Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi invented the concept of the algorithm. In fact, the very word “algorithm” derives from the Latin version of his name.
Statue of Al-Khwarizmi in Uzbekistan. (Photo: Shutterstock).
Al-Khwarizmi lived from 780 to 850 AD. He is regarded as the “father of algebra”, and for some, Al-Khwarizmi is also considered the “forefather of computer science”. However, very little information has been preserved about his life. Many original Arabic texts by Al-Khwarizmi have been lost over time. It is believed that Al-Khwarizmi was born in the region of Khwarazm, south of the Aral Sea in present-day Uzbekistan.
Al-Khwarizmi made significant contributions to mathematics, geography, astronomy, and trigonometry. He developed calculations to track the movements of the Sun, Moon, and planets. He also wrote about trigonometric functions.
Al-Khwarizmi was a scholar at the House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikmah) in Baghdad. This was the first advanced scientific research institute in the history of the Islamic world.
At Bayt al-Hikmah, scholars translated knowledge from around the world into Arabic, then synthesized it to achieve advancements in various fields, including mathematics.
One of the major projects that Islamic mathematicians undertook at Bayt al-Hikmah was the development of algebra. Around 830 AD, Caliph al-Ma’mun (813–833) encouraged Al-Khwarizmi to write a treatise on algebra. This work became his most important product.
At that time, “algebra” had existed for hundreds of years, but Al-Khwarizmi was the first to write a clear book about it. His research aimed to create a practical teaching tool. The Latin translation of his book served as the foundation for algebra textbooks in European universities until the 16th century.
In the first part, he introduced algebraic concepts and rules as well as methods for calculating volumes and areas of shapes. In the second part, he presented practical problems and solutions, such as inheritance cases, land division, and commercial calculations. Al-Khwarizmi did not use modern mathematical notation; instead, he wrote in simple prose and used geometric diagrams. For example, he stated: “The solution of four is twenty; one solution is five, and the square formed from it is twenty-five.” In modern notation, we would write: 4x = 20, x = 5, x² = 25.
A stamp of the scholar Al-Khwarizmi issued by the Soviet Union in 1983, commemorating his 1,200th birthday. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons).
Al-Khwarizmi’s mathematical works introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals to Western mathematicians. These are the ten symbols that we all use today: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0. Hindu-Arabic numerals are crucial to the history of computing because they utilize zero and the decimal system. This numeral system serves as the foundation for modern computing technology.
The art of calculating mathematical problems by Al-Khwarizmi laid the groundwork for the concept of algorithms. He provided the first detailed explanations of how to use decimal notation to perform the four basic arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division). This method of calculation was more efficient than using an abacus. To solve a mathematical equation, Al-Khwarizmi systematically transformed through a series of steps to find the answer. This is the fundamental concept of an algorithm.
Today, the term “algorithm” is defined as: “A set of instructions or mathematical rules that will help calculate the answer to a problem.”
Al-Khwarizmi played a crucial role in the development of mathematics and computer science as we know them today. Any digital technology today, from social media to online banking, would not be possible without the pioneering work of this ancient Persian scholar.
