WORLD HISTORY

HISTORY

THE MUSLIM WORLD AND AFRICA

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What important mathematical symbol or concept did Muslims name?
A
multiplication sign
B
zero
C
equal sign
D
long division
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -A Persian mathematician, Mohammed ibn-Musa al-Khowarizmi, suggested that a little circle should be used in calculations if no number appeared in the tens place. The Arabs called this circle “sifr, ‘’ or “empty.” Zero was crucial to al-Khowarizmi, who used it to invent algebra in the ninth century.

Detailed explanation-2: -About 773 AD the mathematician Mohammed ibn-Musa al-Khowarizmi was the first to work on equations that were equal to zero (now known as algebra), though he called it ‘sifr’. By the ninth century the zero was part of the Arabic numeral system in a similar shape to the present day oval we now use.

Detailed explanation-3: -Have you ever wondered what the definition of zero is in math? Zero is the number that represents no amount or no objects. The numbers 1, 2, 3, and onwards are called natural numbers. Zero and the natural numbers together are called whole numbers. Zero is represented by the symbol “0.”

Detailed explanation-4: -Islamic scientists in the 10th century were involved in three major mathematical projects: the completion of arithmetic algorithms, the development of algebra, and the extension of geometry.

Detailed explanation-5: -It was al-Khowarizmi who first synthesized Indian arithmetic and showed how the zero could function in algebraic equations, and by the ninth century the zero had entered the Arabic numeral system in a form resembling the oval shape we use today.

Detailed explanation-6: -Zero helps us understand and explain concepts that do not have physical forms! The number zero is used as a placeholder in the place value system. For example, two zeros before a number indicate a hundred position, while a single zero before a digit indicates a tens position.

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