How Did Algebra Become Essential to Science?
In short: Algebra moved from worded problems in Babylonia and Baghdad to Viète's symbols, then into Kepler's and Newton's astronomy and the logic of digital circuits, though some problems still have exact solutions only in special cases.
A 1:33 short film in the series “From Fingers to Qubits”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, “Diophantus - Biography”; Academia.edu (hosting a 2000 paper from School Science and Mathematics, correspondence to Lynn Stallings, Georgia State University), “A Brief History of Algebraic Notation”; MacTutor History of Mathematics, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, “Al-Khwarizmi - Biography”; Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Al-Khwarizmi | Biography & Facts | Britannica”; Springer (book chapter, link.springer.com), “The Legacy of Al-Khwārazmı̄ in History of Algebra”; MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, “François Viète - Biography”; Encyclopaedia Britannica, “History of science - Newton, Physics, Mathematics | Britannica”; NASA Science (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), “Orbits and Kepler’s Laws - NASA Science Kepler's Laws”; Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Kepler’s laws of planetary motion | Definition, Diagrams, & Facts | Britannica”; Computer History Museum, “How Do Digital Computers “Think”? - CHM Revolution”.
Sources used in this film
- MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews — Diophantus - Biography · View →
- Academia.edu (hosting a 2000 paper from School Science and Mathematics, correspondence to Lynn Stallings, Georgia State University) — A Brief History of Algebraic Notation · View →
- MacTutor History of Mathematics, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews — Al-Khwarizmi - Biography · View →
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Al-Khwarizmi | Biography & Facts | Britannica · View →
- Springer (book chapter, link.springer.com) — The Legacy of Al-Khwārazmı̄ in History of Algebra · View →
- MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews — François Viète - Biography · View →
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — History of science - Newton, Physics, Mathematics | Britannica · View →
- NASA Science (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) — Orbits and Kepler’s Laws - NASA Science Kepler's Laws · View →
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Kepler’s laws of planetary motion | Definition, Diagrams, & Facts | Britannica · View →
- Computer History Museum — How Do Digital Computers “Think”? - CHM Revolution · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews: Diophantus - Biography
- Also: Academia.edu (hosting a paper by L. Stallings, Georgia State University, published in School Science and Mathematics, 20: A Brief History of Algebraic Notation
- Also: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews: Al-Khwarizmi - Biography
- Also: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Al-Khwarizmi | Biography & Facts | Britannica
- Also: Springer (book chapter, link.springer.com): The Legacy of Al-Khwārazmı̄ in History of Algebra
- Also: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews: François Viète - Biography
- Also: Encyclopaedia Britannica: History of science - Newton, Physics, Mathematics | Britannica
- Also: Orbits and Kepler’s Laws - NASA Science Kepler's Laws
- Also: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Kepler’s laws of planetary motion | Definition, Diagrams, & Facts | Britannica
- Also: Computer History Museum: How Do Digital Computers “Think”? - CHM Revolution
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