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Achievements in maths (thelemmy.club)
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[-] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 5 points 1 month ago

Algebra was named after al-Jabir, whose name in Latin is Geber.

[-] wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Well, the wikipedia page for both Al-Khwarizmi and algebra both disagree with you, as does the wiki page for Geber, and, oh yeah, the journal of the history of mathematics: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hm.2006.02.006

"It is well known that our word “algebra” derives ultimately from the Arabic al-jabr, which is part of the name al-jabr wa’l-muq¯abala given to the art of algebra in medieval times. Further, the individual words al-jabr and al-muq¯abala are associated with two steps in the simplification of equations. Al-jabr is the word used in conjunction with moving subtracted quantities to the other side of the equation, and al-muq¯abala is used to combine like terms on opposite sides of the equation."

I have additional notes, if the literal source on the history of math is insufficient to convince you of the history of math.

[-] wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 month ago

Okay, maybe I got "algebra" confused with "gibberish" qua relation to al-Jabir...

this post was submitted on 01 May 2026
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