Overview

The principal Greek compendium of geometry, Euclid's Elements, was translated into Arabic in the ninth century. Muslim mathematicians were then able to combine geometry with the arithmetic and algebra they learned from the Hindus and develop new advances of their own. In the twelfth century the work was translated into Latin, making it more accessible to European scholars. The Elements was still regularly used as a textbook of geometry until about 1900.

Background

Euclid was a Greek mathematician who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, around 300 B.C., and founded the first school of mathematics there. He wrote many books, some of which have been lost. However his 13-volume treatise on geometry, called the Elements, was among the most important mathematical texts in history.

The Elements was a synopsis of the work of many mathematicians, including Hippocrates of...