Works of Arab Scientists During the Medieval Era - Essay Example

The modern form of the ‘scientific method,’ which forms the core in all studies about mathematics and science,  is said to have been first established by Ibn Al Haytham (Alhazen), a well-known Persian scientist of the 10th-11century Arab world (Gorini, 53-55).  It has been contended by many scholars that the study of science in its modern essence has taken shape from the various scientific ideas and knowledge that transpired during the Islamic golden period (Hossein, 71).

           Ibn al-Haytham is considered to be a trendsetter in the field of experimental physics (Gorini, 55) where his innovative methods of experimentation and quantifications, to differentiate between the varying scientific notions and thoughts, are still held in great esteem amongst modern scientists. In his famous treatise, Book of Optics, he transformed the scientific study of optics, where he empirically derived that owing to the light rays that enter the human eye make it possible for a person to see (Elliot, 330-37). During this golden period, Islamic mathematics played an important role in the overall growth and development of Islamic scientific studies. The development of mathematics mainly grew from the various religious observations that had integrated within it, different problems related to astronomy and mathematics, especially the subjects of algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and arithmetic.  

     The Islamic law of inheritance proved to be a great catalyst in the development of algebra (a derivative from the Arabic word al-jabr), a branch of mathematics, by well-known Islamic mathematicians during the medieval period, such as Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī.  Al-Khwārizmī in his famous book Hisab al-jabr w’al-muqabala used algebra (in the form of linear equations) to come to a logical derivation on the subject of the Islamic law of inheritance. Later other mathematicians like Al-Hassār who in the 12th century formulated modern mathematical symbolic notations, like fractions. Another well-known mathematician in the 15th century, Abū al-Hasan ibn Alī al-Qalasādī actualized an algebraic symbolic notation which is considered to be "the first steps toward the introduction of algebraic symbolism" in the 15th century (O'Connor and Robertson, Abu'l Hasan ibn Ali al Qalasadi, 1999). There are three main theories regarding the conceptualization of Islamic algebra, where the first one states that it was derived from Hindu scientific notions; the second theory tells us that Islamic algebra came from Mesopotamian influences; while the third theory opines that it was derived from Greek algebraic notions (Boyer, 230).

         Throughout the entire golden era, before the Islamic civilization came to an end, the Arab scientists were fully aware of the notions of rhetorical algebra, which was in wide use, and often the numbers were written in the form of words (like ‘ten’ for 10). Later the Arab scientists changed the pattern of using word terms for numbers and brought in the concept of Arabic numerals, like 11, 12, and so on. Symbolic algebra was first introduced in the 13th and 15th-century works of Ibn al-Banna al-Marrakushi and Abū al Hasan ibn Alī al Qalasādī, respectively.

     The Islamic mathematicians conceptualized four essential stages in the process of algebra solving, which are considered to be modern and are as follows:

• Static equation-solving stage: where the primary aim is to locate numerical values that satisfied certain relationships. It was developed by Al-Khwarizmi in his book Al Jabr.
• Geometric stage, where algebraic notions are chiefly based on geometry. This is the most primitive concept in Islamic mathematics and dates back to the Babylonian era, which was later re-developed by Omar Khayyam
• Dynamic function stage: denotes the motion of a body. The concept of this function was first developed by Sharaf al Dīn al Tūsī.
• Abstract stage: a relatively new concept of modern 19th-century studies, where abstract mathematical concepts play the main role.

Conclusion: A close look at the works of Arab scientists during the medieval era shows us that, at this time Islamic studies had made great progress in the field of science and technology. Many of the modern algebraic notations and symbolisms were first invented by Arab scientists during the middle ages, and are used even in this modern era. Their system of using numerals for denoting numbers continues to this day, showing the highly advanced nature of scientific studies during that era.