Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi

Persian mathematician, astronomer, and scholar whose treatise 'Al-Kitab al-mukhtasar fi hisab al-jabr wal-muqabala' (c.830 AD) gave the world algebra — the word itself derives from 'al-jabr' in the title. His book on Hindu numerals introduced the decimal place-value system to the Islamic world and, through Latin translations, to medieval Europe. The word 'algorithm' derives from the Latinisation of his name.

• Lived: 780 CE – 850 CE
• Nationality: persian
• Roles: mathematician, astronomer, geographer