The history of algebra

Until the 19th century, Algebra was simply the theory of equations, but not until before the algebra we know in our days was the same. In fact, it is a branch of mathematics, that began being known as the work of an expert mathematician of the 16th century, François Viète.

François Viete.

But how did interest for Algebra started?

In Ancient Egypt,  people learned to solve linear (ax = b) and quadratic (ax² + bx = c) equations. They also could solve some indeterminate equations, which give us an answer for the previous question.

From the past, we can observe that ancient civilizations wrote out algebraic expressions using only occasional abbreviations, and by medieval times, Islamic mathematicians were able to talk of the unknown “x”, and work out the basic algebra of polynomials.

Back again with the 16th century, mathematicians such as René Descartes wrote Book III of La géometrie (1637)which looks much like a modern algebra text. This and references we can obtain from François Viète show us that algebra started being founded at around this century.

René Descartes.

By the time of Gauss, algebra could be finally named as in modern state. Attention mathematicians had focused on polynomial equations changed into studying the structure of abstract mathematical systems who’s axioms were base don the behavior of mathematical objects i.e.: complex numbers, algebraic groups…

Later, XIX-XX century, algebra shifted again with the discovery of quaternions; complex numbers of the form a + bi changed into a + bi + cj + dk. After this discovery, mathematicians started investigating vectors, and this bring us to our days, where algebra, in a continuous develop, has occupied importance and an role in every field, and not only in mathematics.