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:
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
