Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khwarmzai was alive back in 750 BCE, and he invented the form of algebra we know today. It’s not known how he figured it out because there aren't any old documents from back then that discuss it, but he invented the sine quadrant, the mural instrument, and the shadow square (altitude scale), and the concept of algebra.

Al-Khwarmzi was bold, as well as wise, for obvious reasons. He invented algebra as well as three other mathematical devices, so I would count that as wise. I admire that he was able to discover the algorithm through trial and error, and that he was able to put it all together by himself. I think he is a role model for trial and error, because he failed multiple times while trying to find an easier way to do math. He then ended up creating something that is used in everyday life and taught in thousands of schools across the world. I am sad that not so many people know about him, because everything has to come from something, and there should be a time in math class where people learn about all the things Al-Khwarmzi did to progress society.

I decided to create a 3D-printed armillary sphere as the main part of my main project, because Al-Khawarmzai was once an astronomer. Armillary spheres have been around since before he was born, so he most likely used one. I engraved words and phrases into the rings of the armillary sphere to share more about his life, along with engraving algebraic expressions (which Al-Khawarmzai invented the algorithm for!!). I tried my best to put many parts of his life onto the sphere including past occupations and the other things he invented.

I’m very glad that I did this project because it had never occurred to me that someone actually had to invent algebra. I'm sure it was in the back of my mind somewhere, but I never thought too hard about it. It’s fun to know that it has been around for so long and that it is constantly improving. Despite Al-Khwarmzai being alive in 780 CE, his work has influenced how we do things and make things now, allowing for society to progress further than he could have thought it would. He also was the one to introduce the arabic-hindu number system with the Western world, which means that even when I type numbers, I'm still being influenced by what he has done, which is a very incredible concept to me.