Inventions & Discoveries · Writing and counting

Algebra

Algebra is the branch of mathematics that deals with symbols and the rules for manipulating them to solve equations. Its name comes from the Arabic al-jabr in the title of a treatise by the ninth-century scholar al-Khwarizmi, who worked in Baghdad. It is cited as one of the enduring intellectual legacies of the Abbasid Caliphate.

Algebra
Image: Jamie Twells · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

On the inventions tree

First known
825
Where
Baghdad

NoteWhether earlier work, from the Rhind papyrus to Diophantus and Brahmagupta, counts as algebra is debated.

Built onEuclid's Elementsc. 300 BCEHindu–Arabic numerals1st–4th century CE
Led toLogarithms1614Calculus1665–1666

See it on the inventions tree →

Mentioned in 3 profiles

Abbasid CaliphateImpact, SummaryArabicLiterature, Change, SummaryIslamLegacy

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Algebra. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/algebra
MLA
“Algebra.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/algebra. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Algebra.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/algebra.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Algebra’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/algebra (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻