Abraham

Abraham bar Hiyya Ha-Nasi

Born: 1070 in (possibly) Barcelona, Spain
Died: 1130 in (possibly) Barcelona, Spain 

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Abraham bar Hiyya's name is Hebrew for 'the prince' but he is also known by the Latin name Savasorda which comes from his 'job description' showing that he held an official position in the administration in Barcelona.

Abraham bar Hiyya is famed for his book Hibbur ha-Meshihah ve-ha-Tishboret (Treatise on Measurement and Calculation), translated into Latin as Liber embadorum in 1145. This book is the earliest Arab algebra written in Europe. It contains the complete solution of the general quadratic and is the first text in Europe to give such a solution.

References elsewhere in this archive:

Tell me about solutions of quadratic equations

References:

  1. Dictionary of Scientific Biography
  2. Biography in Encyclopaedia Britannica
  3. F Baer, Die Judem im Christlichen Spainien (Berlin, 1929). 
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JOC/EFR February 1996