Science trips – Behind the mathematicians of Al-Andalus

During the medieval Islamic period, the Iberian Peninsula became the world capital of mathematics, which we owe to the Muslim scholars of Al-Andalus.

The early Middle Ages are sometimes referred to as “the dark years”, where humanity supposedly lived through a time of barbarism, poverty and ignorance. Today we know that it was not so. Specifically, the Iberian Peninsula, under Arab rule, became one of the most advanced places where mathematics flourished. Important contributions were made here and have survived to this day, such as the introduction of Arabic numerals and the development of algebra.

The cities of Al-Andalus, and especially Córdoba, capital of the Caliphate, were a center for the production of mathematical studies and texts. Scholars such as Al-Majriti, Al-Andalus, Ibn Aflah and Al-Jayyani made important contributions to trigonometry, astronomy and other branches of mathematics. His works were translated into Latin and had a significant impact on the development of mathematics in Europe.

Furthermore, mathematical techniques were used in various practical fields, such as building construction and the development of irrigation systems, as well as in astronomical calculations, navigation and map making.

Let’s follow these three mathematicians from Al-Andalus to the cities where they lived and discover their work:

Madrid: Al-Majrīṭī

Maslama al-Majrīṭī (950–1007) was a 10th-century mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who lived in the city of Madrid, Islamic Spain. He was one of the leading mathematicians of his day, but he did not remain in one field of science.

Al-Majrīṭī participated in the translation of Ptolemy’s Planisphaerium, improved existing translations of the Almagest, also by Ptolemy. He also introduced and improved the astronomical tables of Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi and helped historians by producing tables for converting Persian dates into Islamic years. As a mathematician he introduced the techniques of topography and triangulation, the origin of current trigonometry. He also wrote a book on taxation and economics in al-Andalus[3].

Al-Majrīṭī also predicted scientific exchange and the advent of networks for scientific communication. He built a school of Astronomy and Mathematics and marked the beginning of organized scientific research in al-Andalus. He is considered one of the founders of the madrasa of Córdoba, a center of teaching and scientific research that played a key role in transmitting mathematical and scientific knowledge in the Islamic world.

Jaen: Al-Jayyani

Ibn Mu’adh al-Jayyani ((989-1079) was an Arab-Spanish mathematician and astronomer who lived in what is now Jaén. He was an important figure in the field of mathematics and made important contributions to the development of trigonometry. his most important works is “Kitab al-Tadhkira fi’l-Hisab al-Hindi” (Memoir on Hindu Arithmetic), a mathematical treatise dealing with the use of Hindu-Arabic numerals and their application to arithmetic and algebra. introduce the decimal system and the use of the zero symbol in the Islamic world.

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Al-Jayyānī wrote “The Book of Unknown Arcs of a Sphere”, which is considered the first treatise on spherical trigonometry. His work contains formulas for right triangles, the general law of sines, and the solution of a spherical triangle by means of the polar triangle. He was also known for his contributions to the field of astronomy, including his work on the calculation of astronomical tables and the use of spherical trigonometry.

Cordoba: Al-Andalusi

Said al-Andalusi (1029-1070) was a Muslim philosopher, historian, and scientist who contributed to various fields of knowledge, including mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy. Al-Andalusi became known for his work “Tabaqat al-Umam” (Categories of Nations), in which he drew comparisons between different cultures and civilizations, such as the ancient Greeks, Romans, Persians and Indians, and analyzed their contributions to science, philosophy and culture.

In the field of mathematics, Al-Andalusi contributed to the study of the astrolabe, a device used for astronomical observations and calculations. He also wrote about the use of numbers in arithmetic and algebra and made important contributions to the study of trigonometry. In the second half of Tabaqat al-Umam you can find contributions to the fields of logic, philosophy, geometry, the development of Ptolemaic astronomy, methods of observation, calculations in trigonometry and mathematics for determining the length of the year. , the eccentricity of the solar orbit and the construction of astronomical tables, among other things.

Seville: Ibn Aflah

Jabir ibn Aflah (1100-1150) was an astronomer, mathematician and geographer. He made critical corrections to Ptolemy’s Almagest, especially in the mathematical basis of the work. For example, he replaced Menelaus’ theorem with ones based on spherical trigonometry, in what appears to be an attempt to increase mathematical precision. Jābir placed the orbits of Venus and Mercury, the minor planets, outside the Sun, instead of between the Moon and the Sun, as had happened in the original work.

Jabir Ibn Aflah’s theories are based on those of Al-Jayyani, whom he does not mention in his works. In return, much of the material on spherical trigonometry in the 15th century German Regiomontanus “On Triangles” was taken directly and without credit from Jābir’s work.

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