Trigonometry 📐

Invention/Contribution:

• Muslim scholars developed trigonometry as an independent discipline (not just part of astronomy, as it was in Greece).

• Al-Battani (858–929) refined trigonometric tables and introduced sine, cosine, tangent, and cotangent functions in systematic form.

• Al-Tusi (1201–1274) wrote Treatise on the Quadrilateral, establishing spherical trigonometry.

• Their work enabled accurate astronomy, navigation, and mapmaking, crucial for determining prayer times and the qibla (direction of Mecca).

Why it matters:

• Provided tools that revolutionized astronomy, architecture, engineering, and geography.

• Passed into Europe via Latin translations, influencing Renaissance astronomy (e.g., Copernicus).

• Trigonometric functions developed by Muslim mathematicians are still used in science and technology today.