Omar Khayyam - Biography

Omar Khayyam

“A hair divides what is false and true.” (Omar Khayyam)

Omar Khayyam was born on the 18th of May, 1048 AD in Iran. His full name was: Ghiyath al-Din Abu’l-Fath Umar Ibn Ibrahim Al-Nisaburi al-Khayyami. He was born into a family of tent makers, he spent part of his childhood in the town of Balkh, (in actual northern Afghanistan) studying under Sheik Muhammad Mansuri. 

Later on, he studied under Imam Mowaffaq Nishapuri (who was considered one of the greatest teachers of the Khorassan region, in actual Afghanistan) . Khayyam had notable works in geometry, particularly on the theory of proportions since he was a child.

He was a Persian polymath. Mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, physician, and poet.

He wrote treatises on mechanics, geography, music, etc. He also made BIG contributions to the geometry. Not only that he also helped a lot to the algebra, because Khayyam was the first mathematician who noticed the importance of a general binomial theorem. The argument supporting the claim that Khayyam had a general binomial theorem is based on his ability to extract roots.

 

Another achievement in the algebra text is Khayyam's realisation that a cubic equation can have more than one solution. He demonstrated the existence of equations having two solutions, but unfortunately he does not appear to have found that a cubic can have three solutions. He did hope that "arithmetic solutions" might be found one day when he wrote.

Khayyam was also part of a panel that introduced several reforms to the Persian calendar. On March 15, 1079, Sultan Malik Shah, accepted this corrected calendar as the official Persian calendar.

 

(Persian calendar)

Outside the world of mathematics, Khayyam is best known as a result of Edward Fitzgerald's popular translation in 1859 of nearly 600 short four line poems the Rubaiyat. Khayyam's fame as a poet has caused some to forget his scientific achievements which were much more substantial. Versions of the forms and verses used in the Rubaiyat existed in Persian literature before Khayyam, and only about 120 of the verses can be attributed to him with certainty.

Khayyam’s personal beliefs are discernible from his poetic oeuvre. In his own writings, Khayyam rejects strict religious structure and a literalist conception of the afterlife.

According to some recordings. Khayyam taught for decades the philosophy of Avicenna, especially in his home town: Nishapur, till his death. Khayyam, the philosopher can be understood from two rather distinct sources. One is through his Rubaiyat and the other through his own works in light of the intellectual and social conditions of his time. 

 

As a mathematician, Khayyam has made fundamental contributions to the Philosophy of mathematics especially in the context of Persian Mathematics and Persian philosophy with which, most of the other Persian scientists and philosophers like: Avicenna, Biruni, and Tusi are associated with his works.

Of all of his verses, the best known is this one:

The Moving Finger writes, and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

Omer Khayyam passed away on December the 4th 1131 in Nishapur, Persia now known as Iran.

Bibliography:

Omar Khayyam. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved November 25, 2013, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/o/omar_khayyam.html Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/citation/quotes/authors/o/omar_khayyam.html#cZAlWSBf5L8KzOz0.99

 

Personarte. (1993). Recuperado el 25 de November de 2013, de Personarte.com: http://www.personarte.com/omark.htm

J J O'Connor, E. F. (1999). Hystory. Recuperado el 25 de November de 2013, de Hystory.mcs.st: http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Khayyam.html