May 18, 2024 22:00:00

Where does the word 'algorithm' come from?

The word

algorithm is indispensable in our lives in Google searches, social media analysis, programs that execute and process specific tasks, the development of artificial intelligence, etc. Debbie Passey, a digital health researcher at the University of Melbourne, explains the origin and history of the word 'algorithm,' which everyone has heard.

Why are algorithms called algorithms? A brief history of the Persian polymath you've likely never heard of
https://theconversation.com/why-are-algorithms-called-algorithms-a-brief-history-of-the-persian-polymath-youve-likely-never-heard-of-229286

The concept of algorithms is believed to have been invented by the 9th century Persian scientist Muhammad bin Musa al -Khwarizmi. Al-Khwarizmi was an Islamic scholar who lived from 780 to 850 AD and is sometimes called the 'father of algebra' and the 'grandfather of computer science.' He lived during the early Islamic Golden Age , a time of remarkable scientific advances in the Islamic empire, and he himself made important contributions to mathematics, geography, astronomy, and trigonometry, including revising classic cartography books and creating calculations to track the movements of the sun, moon, and planets.

Al-Khwarizmi is particularly known for his development of algebra. Islamic mathematicians at the time were working on the development of algebra as a major project, and the seventh caliph of the Abbasid dynasty, Ma'mun, the highest authority in the Islamic state, encouraged Al-Khwarizmi to write a treatise on algebra, 'Al-Jabr.' Although the concept of algebra itself had existed for hundreds of years, Al-Khwarizmi was the first to write a definitive book on the subject. According to Passy, the Latin translation of this book served as the basis of European algebra textbooks until the 16th century.

Another important mathematical contribution of Al-Khwarizmi was the introduction of Hindu-Arabic numerals to Western mathematicians. Hindu-Arabic numerals are a numerical system that uses the numbers 0 to 9 and is important in the history of computing because of its use of zero and the decimal system. Al-Khwarizmi's technique for calculating mathematical problems laid the foundation for the concept of algorithms.

Al-Khwarizmi's book on Hindu numerals was translated into Latin and titled 'Algoritmi de numero Indorum (Algorithmic Indian Numerals)'. From there, the rules for doing arithmetic using the Hindu-Arabic numeral system came to be called 'algorithm' in medieval Latin after Al-Khwarizmi.

The word algorithm was defined as 'a procedure for solving a mathematical problem in a finite number of steps, often involving repeated calculations' or 'a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or achieving some goal' in the early 20th century, when these concepts were proposed and proven. A famous example is the Turing machine proposed by Alan Turing, known as the 'father of computer science.' Although the Turing machine is not an actual machine but an abstract theory, it is a computational model that practically handles current algorithms and played an important role in the birth of computers.

Al-Khwarizmi, who coined the concept of the algorithm, played a central role in the development of the mathematics and computer science we know today. 'As we use digital technology, from social media to using online bank accounts to spending time listening to music on Spotify, we should remember that none of it would be possible without the pioneering work of Ancient Persian scientists,' said Passy.