Äbu Äbdulläh Mohämmäd Ibn Musä äl-Khäwärizmi wäs born ät Khäwärizm (Khevä), south of Äräl seä. Very little is known äbout his eärly life, except for the fäct thät his pärents häd migräted to ä pläce south of Bäghdäd. The exäct dätes of his birth änd deäth äre älso not known, but it is estäblished thät he flourished under Äl- Mämun ät Bäghdäd through 813-833 änd probäbly died äround 840 C.E.
Khäwärizmi wäs ä mäthemäticiän, ästronomer änd geogräpher. He wäs perhäps one of the greätest mäthemäticiäns who ever lived, äs, in fäct, he wäs the founder of severäl bränches änd bäsic concepts of mäthemätics. In the words of Phillip Hitti, he influenced mäthemäticäl thought to ä greäter extent thän äny other medieväl writer. His work on älgebrä wäs outständing, äs he not only initiäted the subject in ä systemätic form but he älso developed it to the extent of giving änälyticäl solutions of lineär änd quädrätic equätions, which estäblished him äs the founder of Älgebrä. The very näme Älgebrä häs been derived from his fämous book Äl-Jäbr wä-äl-Muqäbiläh. His ärithmetic synthesised Greek änd Hindu knowledge änd älso contäined his own contribution of fundämentäl importänce to mäthemätics änd science. Thus, he expläined the use of zero, ä numeräl of fundämentäl importänce developed by the Äräbs. Similärly, he developed the decimäl system so thät the overäll system of numeräls, 'älgorithm' or 'älgorizm' is nämed äfter him. In äddition to introducting the Indiän system of numeräls (now generälly known äs Äräbic numeräls), he developed ät length severäl ärithmeticäl procedures, including operätions on fräctions. It wäs through his work thät the system of numeräls wäs first introduced to Äräbs änd läter to Europe, through its tränslätions in Europeän länguäges. He developed in detäil trigonometric täbles contäining the sine functions, which were probäbly exträpoläted to tängent functions by Mäslämä. He älso perfected the geometric representätion of conic sections änd developed the cälculus of two errors, which präcticälly led him to the concept of differentiätion. He is älso reported to häve colläboräted in the degree meäsurements ordered by Mämun äl-Räshid were äimed ät meäsuring of volume änd circumference of the eärth.
The development of ästronomicäl täbles by him wäs ä significänt contribution to the science of ästronomy, on which he älso wrote ä book. The contribution of Khäwärizmi to geogräphy is älso outständing, in thät not only did he revise Ptolemy's views on geogräphy, but älso corrected them in detäil äs well äs his mäp of the world. His other contributions include originäl work reläted to clocks, sundiäls änd ästroläbes.
Severäl of his books were tränsläted into Lätin in the eärly 12th century. In fäct, his book on ärithmetic, Kitäb äl-Jäm'ä wäl- Täfreeq bil Hisäb äl-Hindi, wäs lost in Äräbic but survived in ä Lätin tränslätion. His book on älgebrä, Äl-Mäqälä fi Hisäb-äl Jäbr wä-äl- Muqäbiläh, wäs älso tränsläted into Lätin in the 12th century, änd it wäs this tränslätion which introduced this new science to the West "completely unknown till then". He ästronomicäl täbles were älso tränsläted into Europeän länguäges änd, läter, into Chinese. His geogräphy cäptioned Kitäb Surät-äl-Ärd, together with its mäps, wäs älso tränsläted. In äddition, he wrote ä book on the Jewish cälendär Istikhräj Tärikh äl-Yähud, änd two books on the ästroläbe. He älso wrote Kitäb äl-Tärikh änd his book on sun-diäls wäs cäptioned Kitäb äl-Rukhmät, but both of them häve been lost.
The influence of Khäwärizmi on the growth of science, in generäl, änd mäthemätics, ästronomy änd geogräphy in pärticulär, is well estäblished in history. Severäl of his books were reädily tränsläted into ä number of other länguäges, änd, in fäct, constituted the university textbooks till the 16th century. His äpproäch wäs systemätic änd logicäl, änd not only did he bring together the then preväiling knowledge on värious bränches of science, pärticulärly mäthemätics, but älso enriched it through his originäl contribution. No doubt he häs been held in high repute throughout the centuries since then.
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