Egyptian Algebra

 Earliest finding from the Rhind Papyrus – written approx. 1650 B.C.
 Solve algebra problems equivalent to linear equations and 1 unknown
 Algebra was rhetorical – use of no symbols

Babylonian Algebra

 Babylonians were more advanced than Egyptians

 Like Egyptians, algebra was also rhetorical
 Could solve quadratic equations
 Method of solving problems was rhetorical, taught through examples
 No explanations to findings were given
 Recognized on positive rational numbers

Greek Algebra

The Greeks originally learned algebra from Egypt as indicated in their writings of the 6th century BCE.
Later they learned Mesopotamian geometric algebra from the Persians. They studied number theory,
beginning with Pythagoras (ca 500 BCE), continuing with Euclid (ca 300 BCE) and Nicomachus (ca 100 CE).
The culmination of Greek algebra is the work of Diophantus in the 3rd century CE.

Major Breakthrough – 16th Century

 Viete – lawyer, French mathematician, astronomer, & advisor to King

Henri III & IV
 Often called the father of “modern algebra”
 Focused on algebraic equations in his mathematical writings
 Introduced letters for both constants and unknowns
 First algebraic notations were introduced in his book “In artem
analyticam isagoge”
 Translates to “Introduction to the analytic art”

Other mathematicians in algebra

 Thomas Harriot (1620’s)

>>5aaa + 7bb
 Pierre Herigone (1634)
>>5a3 + 7b2
 James Hume (1636)
>>5aⁱⁱⁱ +7bⁱⁱ
 Rene Descartes (1637)
>>5a³ + 7b²
Rene Descartes (1637)

 Symbolic algebra reached full maturity

 Used lowercase letters from end of alphabet as unknowns
 Used lowercase letters from beginning of alphabet for constants
 Introduced ax + by=c, still use today to describe equation of line
 Work led to introduction of reciprocals, roots of powers, limits of roots of powers, and
exponents.
STAGES OF ALGEBRA

 The development of algebra progressed through 3 stages:

 Rhetorical – no use of symbols, verbal only
 Syncopated – abbreviated words
 Symbolic – use of symbols, used today

https://famous-mathematicians.com/rene-descartes/

https://3010tangents.wordpress.com/2015/02/23/rene-descartes-the-philosophy-of-truth-and-
algebraic-geometry/

https://www.storyofmathematics.com/17th_descartes.html