Medieval Islamic Mathematics

There was a great deal to take away from this one chapter in Berggren's 'Episodes in the Mathematics of Medieval Islam.'

For one, the depth of the biographies for Al Khwarizmi, Al-Biruni, Al-Khayyam, and Al-Kashi were very interesting. Each of them have very colourful lives and it’s quite fascinating to try and interpret how these experiences led to their mathematical discoveries- especially since they don’t seem to have that *reserved and otherworldliness* characteristic that is common among other mathematical biographies from the Renaissance era; their dedication, personalities, and interdisciplinary approach really stands out throughout the reading. For instance, Al-Khwarizmi made contributions to geography, cartography, and law; Al-Biruni debated the nature of light with Avicenna, and made significant contributions to comparative religion (I never would have guessed that he is quite notable for his work on India); Al-Khayyam was a poet; and Al-Kashi started off as a wandering scholar. I would introduce this to my students, because I think it will help deconstruct that stereotypical persona that so many of us have when it comes to mathematicians. 

Even though the mathematics was mind blowing, (I mean, Al-Kashi’s circle with 805,306,368 sides to find pi??? And Al-Khayyam’s ‘new kind of number’?) I could not help but freeze at the mesmerizingly, complex designs on the exterior of the architecture in the images. For long moments, I was unable to scroll past the breathtaking tessellations, fractals, geometry, colours, symmetry, simplicity, and complexity that concealed the clay structures, finding the skill level of those artists/geometers/architects somewhat overwhelming. A great activity for students would be to construct their own geometrical design, and translate the geometrical relationship between base and derived shapes- I can see this being a cool exercise relevant all the way from elementary mathematics up to 12th grade calculus. 

Though he wasn’t covered as extensively as the previous four mentioned, Thabit ibn Qurra’s aptitude for linguistics and mathematics/medical sciences makes him incredibly noteworthy. His work highlights other areas in which mathematics can be applied, which is intriguing. What it also draws attention to though, is the dedication between lifting the  language and notation across both of the civilizations, and the impact his contribution had on the development of mathematics is amazing.