Al-Khawarizmi
Al Khawarizmi, who died in 850 AD, was a renaissance man, a great mathematician, geographer and astronomer. He introduced the zero, negative numbers, algebra, and the decimal system to the West. This opened the door to higher mathematics. He also invented mathematical programming using a set of instructions to perform complex calculations. The term algorithm (computer program, software) is named after a variation of his name, Algorithmi.
He also produced the first global geography and an extensive index of the positions of heavenly bodies.
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Revised on 10/3/99
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