Origin, Invention and what it led to… Digits and the decimal system is the infra structure of mathematics and physics. Hindi numerals were largely used among the Arabs due to their reliance in the translation of Hindu books in Astronomy and Mathematics.
One of several early scientists who studied and used Hindu numerals was Al Khwarizmi who was later known by Europe as Algorithm which stands for his name in Latin.
Al Khawarismi or Algorithm wrote many books on the Hindu numerical system all of it were translated into Latin then into English and other European languages were it became major reference for early European mathematicians and scientists.
However, Al Khwarizmi or Algorithm did manage to author what is known as Arabic numerals which subsequently spread in Andalusia and the Maghreb and is still used by Arabs and other Asian civilizations till today. He later invented another more advanced numerals which was adopted by all humanity and still is till today, this is the modern numerical system from Cipher or Zero to nine. Though Diophantus the Alexandrian wrote several books on arithmatics (215 to 290s CE ), Al Khwarizmi was regarded to be the father of Algebra and the inventor of Digit and the modern day numerals.
Al Khwarizmi was born in Baghdad during the golden age of Islamic science, (born c. 780, Baghdad, Iraq, died c. 850) Muslim mathematician and astronomer his full name was Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi His Kitab al-Jabr wa-l-Muqabala presented the first systematic solution of linear and quadratic equations. He is considered the founder of algebra, a credit he shares with Diophantus. In the twelfth century, Latin translations of his work on the Indian numerals, introduced the decimal positional number system to the Western world. He revised Ptolemy’s Geography and wrote on astronomy and astrology.
His contributions had a great impact on language. “Algebra” is derived from al-jabr, one of the two operations he used to solve quadratic equations. Algorism and algorithm stem from Algorithmi, the Latin form of his name is the origin of (Spanish) guarismo and of (Portuguese) algarismo, both meaning digit.
He based his new system on counting angles for each number in the following format:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
Indeed, Al Khwarizmi work and computing system eventually led to the invention of the Computer.
Adam El Masri
