Why do I like the word algebra?

Some hate it, some love it and some just do it because they have to as part of studies or jobs. I am talking about mathematics and in particular algebra. I am not great at algebra but I like the word algebra a lot. It is a mathematical term as we all know but actually if you dig deeper into it you find it brings together two cultures from Asia and one from Europe. The period between 7-8 century AD to about 16th century AD is sometimes called period of Islamic scientific revolution as many Islamic scholars in middle east were discovering new things in science and technology during this period. One of these scholars was Muhammad Ibn al-Khwarizmi who was Persian scholar working on mathematics, astronomy and geography. He lived during 780 to 850 AD and wrote books on geography, astronomy and various branches of maths.

He was perhaps the first one to put forward idea of systematic procedures to solve the mathematical problems such as quadratic equations. He wrote a book called Al-Kitāb al-mukhtaṣar fī ḥisāb al-jabr wa-l-muqābala (The Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing”). Now those who understand Urdu or Hindi would recognize the words in the title. Kitab = book, mukhtasar = short , hisab = calculation, jabr = force (multiplication) and muqabala = balance. This is where the word al-gebra comes from. Its journey to present day English was routed through Latin like for most of Arabic or Sanskrit origin words found in English. The above book was translated in 1145 AD in Latin as Liber algebrae et almucabala. In this title notice the al-jabr changing to algebrae and from there to algebra seems a short journey of dropping ‘e’ from the Latin term algebrae. Actually it was through translation of this book that notions of zero and decimal places were introduced to Europeans who at that time were using Roman numerals I, V, X,L, D,C M,V. Imagine solving 369 x 24 using Roman number (CCCLXIX x XXIV)! Al-Khwarizmi himself got the concept of zero from his studies of Indian mathematics. When he wrote his books on mathematics and astronomy great deal of scientific development was going in India also. One of his books Kitāb al-Jamʿ wa-l-tafrīq bi-ḥisāb al-Hind (The Book of Addition and Subtraction According to the Hindu Calculation) shows his awareness and understanding of the Indian mathematical knowledge which was quite advanced by 7th century AD. During those years there was extensive exchange of knowledge and scientific literature between scholars from India, China and Middle-east. Much of the knowledge about advancements in sciences in India reached European scholars through Arabic translations and interpretations by the Arab scholars.

Al-Khwarizmi’s name has provided an English word changing first into Algoritimi in Latin before getting the shape as we now know algorithm. Yes, that algorithm which today means systematic breaking down of a problem or a situation in step wise manner and then trying to solve it. A technique used by most of us from high school children for solving mathematical problems to computer programmers to military strategist to management experts. Most visible form of algorithm is flow chart or pathway analysis. All courtesy 8th century great scientist Al-Khwarizmi whose approach to problem diagnosis and solution remains pervasive in different forms of algorithm.

Let me get back to algebra! Now let’s go eastward for interpretation of al-jabr. The term jabra is used till today in Urdu and Hindi as meaning force as root in different words. Jabardasti (or zabardasti) meaning forcefully, majboor (helpless or slave i.e, without any force or power and also there at least two Hindi movies by the name majboor), in Gujarati I have heard jabro (one who is powerful or someone like bully) and of course there is a saying in Hindi aadat se majboor (helpless due to habit or habits die hard!).

So there we have fascinating word ‘algebra’, do you still hate it?