Al-Khwarizmi (Persian: خوارزمی), or by his full name Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi (b. 780, Khwarezm – d. 850, Baghdad), was a Persian scholar who worked in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, geography, and algorithms. Al-Khwarizmi was born in 780 in the city of Khiva in the Khwarezm region. He died in 850 in Baghdad.
The Latin translations of his works on the Hindu numerals introduced the decimal positional number system to the Western world in the 12th century. Al-Khwarizmi's Compendious Book on Calculation by Completion and Balancing presented the first systematic solution of linear and quadratic equations. Because he was the first to teach algebra as an independent discipline and to introduce the methods of "reduction" and "balancing" (simplification by moving like terms from different sides of an equation to the same side), al-Khwarizmi has been described as the father or founder of algebra. His work in the field of algebra was used as a basic mathematics textbook in European universities until the 16th century.
He revised and edited Ptolemy's work titled Geography, and carried out studies in the fields of astronomy and astrology.
Certain words reflect the importance of al-Khwarizmi's contributions to mathematics. The word "algebra" derives from al-jabr, one of the two operations he used to solve quadratic equations. The word "algorithm," meanwhile, comes from Algoritmi, the Latin form of his name. His name also forms the origin of the (Spanish) word "guarismo" and the (Portuguese) word "algarismo," both meaning "digit."
Few details of al-Khwarizmi's life are known with certainty. He was born into a Persian family in the city of Khwarezm in Greater Khorasan (modern Khiva, Khwarezm region, Uzbekistan). He was born in 780.