An Essay by the Uniquely Wise 'Abel Fath Omar Bin Al-Khayyam on Algebra and Equations: Algebra Wa Al-Muqabala (Great Books of Islamic Civilization)

'Abel Fath Omar Bin Al-Khayam was a Persian mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, physician, and poet - most famous for his Rubaiyat, one of the classics of world literature. His work greatly influenced the development of mathematics, particularly analytical geometry, and was unsurpassed for many centuries. Although he is generally better known as a poet, his work as a philosopher, scientist, and mathematician was a major contribution to the growth of human knowledge. His famous book on algebra and equations - translated here by Roshdi Khalil - is considered to be perhaps his most important contribution to mathematics. The book deals with the solution of quadratic and cubic equations. Al-Khayam solved all possible cases of such equations by using geometrical approaches, sometimes involving conic sections, parabolas, and hyperbolas. Historians of science, teachers of mathematics, and mathematicians themselves will find the book both interesting and informative.