ABSTRACT
Al-Khwarizmi is credited with the invention of algebraic notational methods in 820ad. In his most important book, Al-jabr wa’l muqa̅balah (from the title of which the word ‘algebra’ was derived), he solves quadratic equations in a way that would not be familiar to our students, using a method that is much the same as that used by computer programmers to write code for their programs. His method follows a set of logical instructions to obtain the answer. This type of method is called an algorithm, from the Latin corruption of his name, algorismus.
