Science in a Golden Age - Al-Khwarizmi: The Father of Algebra

From fast cars and aeroplanes to computer encryption – mathematics underpins so much of modern life. In this episode, Jim Al-Khalili uncovers how, between the 9th and 14th centuries, mathematicians from the Islamic world helped mathematicise science and lay the foundations of algebra. He looks at the modern mathematics behind flight, and behind the record-breaking fastest car in the world, tracing the route back from these achievements to the legacy of the Persian mathematician Al Khwarizmi. We also discover the role that the Islamic world played in giving us the modern numeral system that we take for granted in everyday life. And, in the Sulemaniye Library in Istanbul, Jim uncovers a rare text by Al Kindi – perhaps the world’s earliest mathematical code breaker.

[kmjyoib]

Love and Respect from Japan!
I am 17-year high-school student and I convert to Islam 4 years ago, when I was 13.

[cafeespresso]

It's beautiful that at the very top of the first page of his book, Al-Khawarizmi begins with "Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem", In the name of Allah (God) the Beneficent, the Merciful. In Islam, science is about understanding and exploring the complexity and beauty of what God has created.

[cafeespresso]

I wonder how Al-Khawarizmi would feel if he knew that his name would live on as it has for so many centuries, and would spawn words such as algorithm - a concept so fundamental to modern computing. A man ahead of his time in every respect.

[neelufarkhan]

Alhamdulillah to be a mathematics student In sha allah I will do research one day🙌😍 pray for me guys...m working hard ..❤️ ...this type of videos are so motivating for me ... being a mathematics student

[tsjonathan]

Why doesnt this have billions of views?

[munahfarxan]

mashallah the history of our muslim forefathers its a responsibilty upon every muslim to contribute and upheld their efforts

[MdInamullahKhan]

A polite correction to the anchor....Islam is not born with Prophet Muhammad saws...it was from day 1 when Adam A.S. the first man on earth came.

[edgeeffect]

Jim Al-Khalili is a brilliant broadcaster... Love his stuff from the BBC... Cool to see Al Jazeera giving him another opportunity to tell me stuff.

[RuhulAmin-skbn]

Thank you very much Al Jajeera for your work. Without your work, we would have never known this glorious scintific past of Golden age.

Heartiest Thanks

[sharanyatiwari]

I love how Jim simplified everything and put it forth so uncomplicatedly, that a dunce like me could also understand it. Wish our teachers back in school explained it like this, I would be a polymath myself. But alas!

[mmq]

What we are doing now with the enlightenments of those great minds are more important than arguing over what type of ethnicity they  were.

[anil]

Al-Khwarizmi wrote "Kitab al hisab al Hindi", a hindu numerical book. This was translated into Latin by the name "Algorithmi de Numero Indorum" ("Al-Khwarizmi's Indian numericals"). This book's name now called Algorithms bcoz of which many modern technology comes to us..

[zeemazm]

The secret of many islamic scholar in the past is First, the reading and understanding of Al-Quran the Holy book. From Al-Quran they get information that need to be use in real world to understand its meaning and application. And then they solve many life equations in various aspect like biology, chemistry & physics.

[AsifAli-odcf]

Name of His Book: *Kitab Al hisab Al Hindi* (Book of Indian Computation)

[mustafasaricoglu]

It’s shame that he was representing the documentary from Istanbul not bagdat or Syria as they r not safe

[Alex-jbtb]

Excellent documentary on the history of math in the Middle Age.

[shehlasiddiqi]

All thanks to extra ordinary Prof. Jamal Khalili...for bringing truth in forefront. Baghdad born prof. inherited his polymath genes from his ancestors..equally great!!!

[tamarav.]

Thank you, الجزيرة, for your documentaries! In our 21st century we still know so little about Islam and it's science.

[superherobandaa]

Learn from history and inspire yourself do something like these great scientists.
❤

[nick_ragin]

It is ironic, all of these fundamental mathematics including quadratic and recursive algorithms of solving was invented by Aryabhatta in his book Aryabhatiya which was translated to arabic in that era. But Jim won't even mention it and gives all credit to Al-Khwarizmi.