Omar Khayyam
Full Name: Ghiyath al-Din Abu al-Fath Umar ibn
Ibrahim al-Nishapuri al-Khayyami
Born: 18 May 1048, Nishapur,
Khorasan
Died: 4 December 1131 (aged 83),
Khorasan
School: Persian mathematics, Persian poetry,
Persian philosophy
Main Interests: Mathematics, astronomy, philosophy,
poetry
Early Life and Career:
Omar Khayyam was born on 18 May
1048 CE in Iran. Omar Khayyam was one of the foremost mathematicians and
astronomers of the medieval period. He was recognized as the author of the most
important treatise on algebra before the modern era. This is reflected in his
treatise _Demonstration of Problems of Algebra_, which demonstrates a geometric
method for solving cubic equations by intersecting a hyperbola with a
circle.
His importance as a philosopher
and teacher, and some of his surviving philosophical works, have not received
as much attention as his scientific and poetic writings. Omar Khayyam’s full
name was Ghiyath al-Din Abu al-Fath Umar ibn Ibrahim al-Nishapuri al-Khayyami.
He was born into a family of tent makers.
He spent part of his childhood in
the city of Balkh in northern Afghanistan, studying under Sheikh Muhammad
Mansuri. Later, he studied under Imam Mowaffaq Nishapuri, who was regarded as
one of the greatest teachers of the Khorasan region.
Khayyam did remarkable work in
geometry, especially on the theory of proportions. He was a Persian polymath,
mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, physician, and poet. He wrote treatises
on mechanics, geography, and music.
Khayyam’s treatise may be
considered the first treatment of the parallel postulate that is not based on
the principle of petition but on a more intuitive postulate. Khayyam refuted
previous attempts by other Greek and Persian mathematicians to prove the proposition.
And he rejected the use of motion in geometry.
Khayyam was a mathematician who
noted the importance of the general binomial theorem. The argument supporting
the claim that Khayyam had a general binomial theorem is based on his ability
to extract roots.
Khayyam the philosopher can be
understood from two different sources. One is through his Rubaiyat and the
other comes to light through his works reflecting the intellectual and social
conditions of his time. The latter information can be provided by evaluating
Khayyam’s works by scholars and philosophers such as Baihaqi, Nizami Aruzi, and
Zamakhshari, and the Sufi poet and writer Attar Nishapuri and Najmuddin
Razi.
As a mathematician, Khayyam made
fundamental contributions especially to the philosophy of mathematics in the
context of Persian mathematics and Persian philosophy, with which most other
Persian scientists and philosophers such as Avicenna, Biruni, and Tusi are
associated.
Khayyam was part of the panel
that introduced several reforms to the Persian calendar on 15 March 1079.
Sultan Malik Shah accepted this revised calendar as the official Persian
calendar.
Khayyam’s poetic works have
eclipsed his fame as a mathematician. He wrote about a thousand four-line
verses, i.e. quatrains. In the English-speaking world, he was introduced
through _The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam_, which are free English translations
done by Edward FitzGerald (1809–1883).
Khayyam’s personal beliefs are
evident from his poetic works. In his writings, Khayyam rejects strict
religious structure and the literal concept of an afterlife.
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