Algebra: An Introduction

Algebra is a branch of mathematics which began essentially as a generalization of arithmetic. It extends the operations between numbers to operations involving letters or unknowns which represent numbers.

The name 'algebra' is actually derived from the Arabic word ‘al jabr,’ meaning “reduction” or "reunion of broken parts". How it came to be associated with mathematics has to do with a Persian mathematician, astronomer and geographer, Mohammad ibn-Musa al-Khwarizmi who was born around 780 in an area now located in present day Uzbekistan. His most famous book was entitled Hisab al-jabr w'al mugabalah; its English translation was called The Science of Reunion and Reduction. The titles in both the Arabic and the English versions refer to the systematic study of the solution of linear and quadratic equations. Moreover, al-Khwarizmi’s methods for solving these equations were algorithmic and, even today, any formalized routines for solving specific kinds of problems are called algorithms.

With this as the backdrop for the study of algebra, it should not be surprising that this topic talks about ways to solve equations or formulae with one or more unknowns.

Last Updated by SAS October 07, 2026, 16:00:40