Hassan Amini
University of Tehran, Institute for the History of Science, Faculty Member
Abū al-Wafā'al-Būzjānī is a tenth-century mathematician, mostly known for his works on practical mathematics. There are manuscripts dedicated to arithmetic among his extant works, notably a treatise, which is a mathematical glossary. In... more
Abū al-Wafā'al-Būzjānī is a tenth-century mathematician, mostly known for his works on practical mathematics. There are manuscripts dedicated to arithmetic among his extant works, notably a treatise, which is a mathematical glossary. In this chapter, the manuscripts of this treatise are introduced, its exact original title is discussed, and its content and references are presented and appended by the edition and translation of the text. The original title is On What Should Be Memorized Before the Arithmetic Book. It includes 58 terms and definitions in four main categories: number per se, plane and solid numbers, number relations, and proportion. A survey of the content and terminology of the treatise shows that it is a hybrid of Pythagorean and Euclidean arithmetic definitions.