Fibonacci was born in Pisa, Italy, which at that time was a great mercantile and trading city. Fibonacci's father was administrator of Pisa's trading center in Algeria, and young Leonardo often accompanied his father on trips there. It is believed that Fibonacci spent much of his youth in the Algerian town of Bougie and was schooled in the art of calculation with Hindu-Arabic numerals. Later, Fibonacci traveled to Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Sicily, but remained in North Africa for extended periods. He returned to Pisa about 1200.

Fibonacci, also known as Leonardo Pisano, or Leonardo of Pisa, occasionally used "Leonardo Bigollo," a surname which could mean either "traveler" or "blockhead." Fibonacci may have used the name to indicate he was a great traveler. However, it has also been suggested that his contemporaries considered him to be a blockhead for his use of the Hindu-Arabic numbers, and that Fibonacci used...