Ebook Robert of Chester's Latin Translation of the Algebra of Alkhowarizmi

From the point of view of the history of science, no justification is needed for the publication of a mathematical text of the twelfth century, for the available material representing this period is meagre. A wider acquaintance with Robert of Chester's Latin translation of al-khowa'rizmi's Arabic treatise on algebra will per haps contribute to a more just estimate of the services rendered to science by the Arabs. In the English version I have not at tempted to give a literal translation of the Latin, but rather to express the thought in a phraseology which the modern student of mathematics will find easy of comprehension; by consulting the Latin text and footnotes the reader will be able to examine Robert of Chester's own words. For the convenience of readers interested in the text I have added a Latin Glossary in which are noted many variations from the usage of classical writers. In the Introduction I have presented a study of the significance of the treatise in the history of mathematics, and a description of the manuscripts upon which the text is based.