ALGEBRA

a branch of math’s covering a great variety of subjects, many of which are symbolic extensions of arithmetic, while others involve such special ideas that they may be regarded as practically distinct subjects. The invention of a. probably dates back to at least 1700 B.C., but the a. of the Egyptians (among whom it probably originated) was of course very elementary. The beginnings of a. are found in the work of Diophantus of Alexandria (IV. cent.), of which only Gk. and Lat. translations remain, the original being lost. This work, probably based on those of still earlier writers, is almost the only evidence that a. was known to the Greeks. Little progre in math’s was made by the Romans, but among the Hindus and Arabs many notable advances were made. The latter introduced a. into Spain, and Cordova, the capital of the Moorish empire, became famous for its learning. The first Arabian treatise on a. was that of Muhammad Ben Musa (IX. cent.). This work was subsequently translated into Italian, and as the Moorish empire waned, Italy became the leader in mathematical investigation.