history of mathematics - National STEM Centre

5 Arab mathematics
You should think of the role of the Arab mathematicians as having two components,
which are complementary:
• the translation and subsequent handing on of Greek and Indian mathematics
texts, such as Apollonius's Conies
• their own original contributions, made by embracing and developing both
eastern and western mathematics.
This chapter falls into four parts.
In the first part you learn about the evolution of the Hindu-Arabic number system,
and see in Activity 5.1 how the facility with fractions of a whole was used to help
implement the Islamic rules of inheritance.
In the second part, Activities 5.2 and 5.3, you will learn how the Arab
mathematicians took what was known about trigonometry and developed it further.
In Activities 5.4 to 5.7 you will study some of the variety of problems, originating
from Indian and Chinese texts, on which the Arab mathematicians worked.
Then you go on to learn how the Arab mathematicians developed a geometric
approach, inspired by Greek geometry, to the algorithmic solution of equations.
5.1
Inheritance
problems
5.2
The trigonometry
of chords
1
5.3
Compiling
trigonometric tables
!: 5.4
The chess-board and
other problems
,
5 5
Amicable
numbers
5 6
Homer's
method
5.7
The rule eof of
"double false
I
I
5 8 fe
Solutions of t
quadratic equations 1
5.9 1
Solving cubic ;1
equations '1
5. 10
Graphical
deductions
Although the chapter has been designed to be read and worked in sequence, the
four parts are independent, and if you prefer you may study them in some other
order. .x:,^ :h>;;,:, :c;;:,;.•:. :s:^>::»^M.M ;,;;;;;.: ,:^:Z^.:i, , ,: .«