A Brief History of Algebra and Computing: An Eclectic Oxonian View
Jonathan P. Bowen · 2002
The following problem on the Rhind Papyrus in the British Museum, London, was written in about 1650 BC: Divide 100 loaves among 10 men including a boatman, a foreman and a doorkeeper, who receive double portions. What is the share of each? This can of course be solved using algebra. The first treatise on algebra was written by Diophantus of Alexandria in the 3rd century AD. The term derives from the Arabic al-jabr or literally "the reunion of broken parts." As well as its mathematical meaning, the word also means the surgical treatment of fractures. It gained widespread use through the title of a book ilm al-jabr wa'lmukabala --- the science of restoring what is missing and equating like with like --- written by the mathematician Abu Ja'far Muhammad (active c800--847).