Abu Bakr al-Hassar
Encyclopedia
Al-Hassar or Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn Ayyash al-Hassar was a mathematician from Morocco
, living in the 12th century. He is the author of two books Kitab al-bayan wat-tadhkar (Book of Demonstration and Memorization), a manual of calculation and Kitab al-kamil fi sinaat al-adad (Complete Book on the Art of Numbers), on the break-down of numbers. The first book is lost and only a part of the second book is still extant.
Al-Hassar developed the modern symbolic mathematical notation
for fractions
, where the numerator and denominator are separated by a horizontal bar. This same fractional notation appeared soon after in the work of Fibonacci
in the 13th century.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, living in the 12th century. He is the author of two books Kitab al-bayan wat-tadhkar (Book of Demonstration and Memorization), a manual of calculation and Kitab al-kamil fi sinaat al-adad (Complete Book on the Art of Numbers), on the break-down of numbers. The first book is lost and only a part of the second book is still extant.
Al-Hassar developed the modern symbolic mathematical notation
Mathematical notation
Mathematical notation is a system of symbolic representations of mathematical objects and ideas. Mathematical notations are used in mathematics, the physical sciences, engineering, and economics...
for fractions
Fraction (mathematics)
A fraction represents a part of a whole or, more generally, any number of equal parts. When spoken in everyday English, we specify how many parts of a certain size there are, for example, one-half, five-eighths and three-quarters.A common or "vulgar" fraction, such as 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, etc., consists...
, where the numerator and denominator are separated by a horizontal bar. This same fractional notation appeared soon after in the work of Fibonacci
Fibonacci
Leonardo Pisano Bigollo also known as Leonardo of Pisa, Leonardo Pisano, Leonardo Bonacci, Leonardo Fibonacci, or, most commonly, simply Fibonacci, was an Italian mathematician, considered by some "the most talented western mathematician of the Middle Ages."Fibonacci is best known to the modern...
in the 13th century.
Further reading
- Suter, Heinrich, Beitraege zur Geschichte der Mathematik und Astronomie im Islam. Nachdruck seiner Schriften aus den Jahren 1892-1922. [Contributions to the history of mathematics and astronomy in Islam. Reprint of his works from the years 1892-1922]. Hrsg. von Fuat Sezgin. Baende 1 und 2. [Ed. by Fuat Sezgin. Volumes 1 and 2] Veroeffentlichungen des Institutes fuer Geschichte der Arabisch-Islamischen Wissenschaften. Reihe B: Nachdrucke, Abteilung Mathematik, Bd. 1 [Publications of the Institute for the History of Arabic-Islamic Sciences. Series B: Section Mathematics, vol. 1] Frankfurt am Main: Institut fuer Geschichte der Arabisch- Islamischen Wissenschaften an der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitaet, 1986. Band I: xiii, 761 S.; Band II: x, 724 S. |journal=Historia Mathematica |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=147–158 |year=1987 |issn=0315-0860 }}
External links
- Prof. Paul Kunitzsch, Al-Hassâr's Kitâb al-Bayân and the Transmission of the Hindu-Arabic Numerals http://www.muslimheritage.com/day_life/default.cfm?ArticleID=705&Oldpage=3 retrieved 01-09-2010)
- Manuscript of Kitâb al-bayân wa-l-tadhkâr, online by Library of the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, Philadelphia http://sceti.library.upenn.edu/sceti/ljs/PageLevel/index.cfm?ManID=ljs293&Page=1 (retrieved 01-09-2010)