Question

what was the contribution of arabs in science and philosophy

Answer 1

1. CONTRIBUTION TO HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE BY RONNIE Z. VALENCIANO JR.

2. ISLAMIC CONTRIBUTION TO SCIENCE MATHEMATICS After the decline of Greece and Rome,mathematics flourished for hundreds of yearsin India and the Islamic world. Mathematics in Indiawas largely a tool for astronomy, yet Indianmathematicians discovered a number of importantconcepts. Their mathematical masterpieces andthose of the Greeks were translated into Arabic incenters of Islamic learning, where mathematicaldiscoveries continued during the period known inthe West as the Middle Ages. Our presentnumeration system, for example, is known as theHindu-Arabic system.

3. In the 5th century Hindu mathematician andastronomer Aryabhata studied many of thesame problems as Diophantus but wentbeyond the Greek mathematician in his use offractions as opposed to whole numbers tosolve indeterminate equations (equations thathave no unique solutions). Aryabhata alsofigured the value of pi accurately to eightplaces, thus coming closer to its value thanany other mathematician of ancient times. Inastronomy, he proposed that Earth orbited thesun and correctly explained eclipses of theSun and Moon.

4. The earliest known use of negative numbers inmathematics was by Hindu mathematicianBrahmagupta about AD 630. He presented rulesfor them in terms of fortunes (positive numbers)and debts (negative numbers). Brahmagupta‟sunderstanding of numbers exceeded that ofother mathematicians of the time, and he madefull use of the place system in his method ofmultiplication. Brahmagupta headed the leadingastronomical observatory in India and wrote twoworks on mathematics and astronomy. Theworks dealt with topics such as eclipses, risingsand settings, and conjunctions of the planets witheach other and with fixed stars.

5. Writing in the 9th century, Jain mathematicianMahavira stated rules for operations with zero,although he thought that division by zero left anumber unchanged. The best-known Indianmathematician of the early period was Bhaskara,who lived in the 12th century. Bhaskara suppliedthe correct answer for division by zero as well asrules for operating with irrational numbers.Bhaskara wrote six books on mathematics,including Lilavati (The Beautiful), whichsummarized mathematical knowledge in India upto his time, and Karanakutuhala, translated as“Calculation of Astronomical Wonders.”

6. USE IN RELIGIONMathematics in the Islamic world proveduseful for religion. For example, it helped individing inheritances according to Islamic lawand in determining the direction of the holycity of Mecca for the orientation of mosquesand daily prayers. Muslims deliver prayersfacing in the direction of Mecca, and a prayerniche on one wall of a mosque indicates thedirection of Mecca.

7.  Indian mathematics reached Baghdād, a major early center of Islam, about AD 800. Supported by the ruling caliphs and wealthy individuals, translators in Baghdād produced Arabic versions of Greek and Indian mathematical works. The need for translations was stimulated by mathematical research in the Islamic world. Islamic mathematics also served religion in that it proved useful in dividing inheritances according to Islamic law; in predicting the time of the new moon, when the next month began; and in determining the direction to Mecca for the orientation of mosques and of daily prayers, which were delivered facing Mecca.

8.  In the 9th century Arab mathematician al- Khwārizmī wrote a systematic introduction to algebra, Kitab al-jabr w’al Muqabalah (Book of Restoring and Balancing). The English word algebra comes from al-jabr in the treatise‟s title. Al-Khwārizmī‟s algebra was founded on Brahmagupta‟s work, which he duly credited, and showed the influence of Babylonian and Greek mathematics as well. A 12th-century Latin translation of al-Khwārizmī‟s treatise was crucial for the later development of algebra in Europe. Al-Khwārizmī‟s name is the source of the word algorithm.

9.  By the year 900 the acquisition of past mathematics was complete, and Muslim scholars began to build on what they had acquired. Alhazen, an outstanding Arab scientist of the late 900s and early 1000s, produced algebraic solutions of quadratic and cubic equations. Al-Karaji in the 10th and early 11th century completed the algebra of polynomials (mathematical expressions that are the sum of a number of terms) of al-Khwārizmī. He included polynomials with an infinite number of terms.

10.  Many of the ancient Greek works on mathematics were preserved during the Middle Ages through Arabic translations and commentaries. Europe acquired much of this learning during the 12th century, when Greek and Arabic works were translated into Latin, then the written language of educated Europeans. These Arabic works, together with the Greek classics, were responsible for the growth of mathematics in the West during the late Middle Ages.

Answer 2

Answer:

The Arabic zero, or sifr, offered fresh approaches to challenging mathematical issues. Science progressed more quickly thanks to the Arabic numeral and the Arab decimal system, which were improvements above the original Hindu notion.

Explanation:

• The university, the observatory, and the hospital are three more notable contributions made by Arabs to the fields of science and education.
• Like many other Arabic mathematicians, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (born 1201) used Ptolemy's work as the foundation for his theoretical astronomy, but al-Tusi produced the most substantial improvements to Ptolemy's model of the planetary system before Copernicus developed the heliocentric model.

Arabs made significant advances in trigonometry and devised and developed algebra.

#SPJ2