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200
Diophantus
Diophantus was an Alexandrian Hellenistic mathematician, also known as the father of algebra. There is no accurate date when he lived, but he died at age of 84. He was the author of a series of books called Arithmetica, which his texts deal with solving algebraic equations. -
499
Linear Equations
Aryabhata was the Indian mathematician who described the solution to the indeterminate linear equation in his treatise called Aryabhatiya. It obtains whole-number solutions to linear equations by a method equivalent to the modern one. -
780
Father of Algebra
Al-Khwarizmi is the Father of Algebra. Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi lived in Baghdad, around 780 to 850 CE. He was one of the first to write about algebra (using words, not letters). -
800
The word "Algebra"
The word “Algebra” means the reunion of broken parts based on the origins of the Arabic language. It was first used around 800 AD by Arabic scholars and is still in our language today. -
900
Basic Laws and Identities of Algebra
At the end of 9th century, the Egyptian mathematician Abu Kamil stated and proved the basic laws and identities of algebra. He solved such complicated problems as finding x, y, and z. -
1200
A Latin Translation of Algebra
A Latin translation of Al-Khwarizmi's Algebra appeared in the 12th century. -
1300
Cubic Equation
In the early 13th century, the great Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci achieved a close approximation to the solution of the cubic equation. -
Symbolic Notation
Francois Viete developed the improved symbolic notation for various powers of an unknown. -
General Cubic Equation
Early in the 16th century, the Italian mathematicians Scipione del Ferro, Niccolò Tartaglia, and Gerolamo Cardano solved the general cubic equation in terms of the constants appearing in the equation. -
Introduction of Symbols for the Unknown
As a result of this development, Book III of La géometrie(1637), written by the French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes, looked much like a modern algebra text.