To know about Algebra

1.  What is algebra?

     Algebra is a branch of mathematics dealing with symbols and the rules for manipulating those symbols. In elementary algebra, those symbols (today written as Latin and Greek letters) represent quantities without fixed values, known as variables.

2.  When was algebra created?

     In 1637, René Descartes published La Géométrie, inventing analytic geometry and introducing modern algebraic notation. Another key event in the further development of algebra was the general algebraic solution of the cubic and quartic equations, developed in the mid-16th century.

3.  Where does algebra come from?

     Origin of the Word Algebra. The word algebra is a Latin variant of the Arabic word al-jabr. This came from the title of a book, Hidab al-jabr wal-muqubala , written in Baghdad about 825 A.D. by the Arab mathematician Mohammed ibn-Musa al-Khowarizmi.

4.  What is the main purpose of algebra?

     The purpose of Algebra is to make it easy to state a mathematical relationship and its equation by using letters of the alphabet or other symbols to represent entities as a form of shorthand. Algebra then allows you to substitute values in order to solve the equations for the unknown quantities.

5.  Who is the father of algebra?

     al-Khwarizmi, the Father of Algebra. Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi lived in Baghdad, around 780 to 850 CE (or AD). He was one of the first to write about algebra (using words, not letters).

6.  Why is Diophantus called the father of algebra?

Diophantus is often called “the father of algebra" because he contributed greatly to number theory, mathematical notation, and because Arithmetical contains the earliest known use of syncopated notation.

7.  Which Indian mathematician invented algebra?

     In the context where algebra is identified with the theory of equations, the Greek mathematician Diophantus has traditionally been known as the "father of algebra" but in more recent times there is much debate over whether al-Khwarizmi, who founded the discipline of al-jabr, deserves that title instead.

8.  When was algebra first used?

     Rhetorical algebra, in which equations are written in full sentences. For example, the rhetorical form of x + 1 = 2 is "The thing plus one equals two" or possibly "The thing plus 1 equals 2". Rhetorical algebra was first developed by the ancient Babylonians and remained dominant up to the 16th century.