Al Kindi
( 800 – 873 C.E)
Abu Yousuf Yaqub Ibn Ishhaq Al Kindi was born in Kufa aroung 800 CE. Al Kindi was a philosopher, mathematician, physist, astronomer, physician, geographer and even an expert on music. It is surprising that he made contributions to all these fields. On account of his work he became to be known as the philosopher of the Arabs.In mathematics he wrote four books on number systems and laid the foundation for a large part of modern mathematics. He also contributed to spherical geometry to assist the study of astronomy. In chemistry he opposed the idea that base metals can be converted to precious metals. In physics he wrote a book on geometrical optics. This book later on guided other scientists like Roger Bacon. In medicine his chief contribution was that he was the first to determine the doses to be administered for all the drugs known at that time. Very little was known about the scientific aspects of music. He was the first to point out that various notes that combine to form a harmony have a specific pitch. Thus notes with too low or too high a pitch is not pleasant. He was a prolific writer. He wrote 241 books, the prominent among them are divided subject wise as: Astronomy 16, Arithmetic 11, Geometry 32, Medicine 22, Physics 12, Philosophy 22, Logic 9, Psychology 5, Music 7. He also wrote about tides, astronomical instruments, rocks, precious stones etc
Ibn Sina
( 980 – 1037 CE)
Abu Ali al Hussan Ibn Abdullah Ibn Sina was born in 980 Ce at Afshana near Bukhara. He was the most famous physician, philosopher, encyclopedic, mathematician and astronomer of his time. His major contribution to medical science was his famous book Al Qanun known as “Canon” in the West. The “Qanun fi al Tibb” is an immense encyclopedia of medical terms extending over a million words. His important original contributions include advances such as recognition of the contagious nature of tuberculosis and phthisis, distribution of diseases by water and soil. , And interaction between psychology and health. He was the first to describe meningitis. His philosophical encyclopedia “ Kitab al Shifa” covered a vast field of subjects from philosophy to science. He also contributed to maths, physics, music etc. He explained the casting of nines and its application in the verifications of squares and cubes. He made several contributions to astronomy and devised a contrivance similar to vernier, to increase the precision of instruments. In physics his contribution comprised the study of different forms of energy, heat light and mechanical. He studied force , vacume and infinity. He made important observations that if the perception of light is due to some sort of particles by the luminous source then the speed of light must be finite. He propounded an interconnection between time and motion, and also made investigations on specific gravity and used an air thermometer. He also made rich contributions to anatomy, gynecology and child health. In the field of chemistry, he did not believe in chemical transmutation because in his opinion the metals differed in a fundamental sense. In the field of music his contribution was an improvement over Farabis work and was far ahead of knowledge prevailing elsewhere on the subject. Ibn Sina observed that in the series of consinances represented by (n+1)/n , the ear was unable to distinguish them when n=45. His treasis on minerals was one of the main sources of geology of encyclopediaists of the thirteenth century. Besides “Shifa” , his well known theasis in philosophy are “al-Najat” and “Isharat”.
Omar Al - Khayyama
(1044 – 1123 CE)
Ghiyath al din Abul Fateh Omar Ibn Ibrahim al – Khayyam was born in Nishapur , the provincial capital of Khurasan around 1044 in modern Iran. Mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, physician and poet is commonly known as Omar Khayyam. His major contributions were to Algebra which include classification of algebraic equations including third degree equations and in fact offered solutions for a number of them. This includes geometrical solutions of cubic equations and partial geometric solutions of most other equations. His book “Muqalat fil al-Jabr wa al-Muqabila” is a masterpiece on algebra and has great importance in the development of algebra. His remarkable classifications of equations is based on the complexity of equations , as the higher the degree of an equation , the more terms , or combinations of terms it will contain. Thus Khayyam recognized 13 different types of equations. He also developed the binomial expansion. He studied generalities of Euclid and contributed to the theory of parallel lines. The Saljiq sultan Malikshah Jala u din called him to the new observatory at Ray around 1074 and assigned him the task of determining a correct solar calendar. This had become necessary for revenue collection and other administrative matters at different times of the year. Khayyam introduced a calender that was remarkably accurate and was named “Al Tarikh al Jalali” It had an error of one day in 3770 years. His contributions to other fields of science include accurate determination of specific gravity etc. In metaphysics he wrote books like “Risala Dar Wujud” and the recently discovered “Nauroz Namah”. He was also a renowned astronomer and a physician. His work remained ahead of others for centuries till the time of Descartis , who applied the same geometrical approach in solving equations. His fame as a mathematician has been partially eclipsed by his popularity as a a poet. His contribution as a philosopher and a scientist has been of significant value in furthering the frontiers of human knowledge.
