Miracle of Islamic Science

From Nabavi Era

The Missing Civilization

Golden Islamic Era

History of Flight
Roger Bacon (12141294) : First man in flight who drew a flying apparatus Leonardo da Vinci (1452 1519) Conceived of airborne transport and drew several prototypes Ibn Firnas (810 887): Invented, constructed and tested a flying machine Firnas invention antedates Bacon by 500 years and Da Vinci by some 700 years
Wings

Leonardo da Vinci Roger Bacon First Gliding Machine

Prototype Design

Modern Optics
Isaac Newton (1643 1727) :
Isaac Newton's 17th century study of lenses, light and prisms forms the foundation of the modern science of optics

Al-Haytham (965 1039):

Al-Haytham determined virtually everything that Newton advanced regarding optics centuries prior and is regarded by numerous authorities as the "founder of optics. " There is little doubt that Newton was influenced by him. His works Camera were utilized and quoted by a greater number of European scholars during the 16th and 17th centuries than those of Newton and Galileo combined

Prism Light

Isaac Newton

Splitting light
Al-Haytham Optical Diagrams

Modern Optics (light)

Isaac Newton (1643 1727) :
Isaac Newton discovered that white light consists of various rays of colored light.

Al-Haytham (965 1039):

This discovery was made in its entirety by al-Haytham (11th century) and Kamal Taqi ud-Din (14th century). Newton did make original discoveries, but this was not one of them.

Al-Haytham

Taqi-ud-din

Prism Light Isaac Newton

Optical Diagrams
Splitting of Light

Modern Optics (mirrors)

13TH Century Venice :
Glass mirrors were first produced in 1291 in Venic

Al-Haytham (965 1039):

The parabolic mirror was first described by Ibn Sahl in his book On the Burning Instruments in the 10th century, and later described again in Ibn al-Haythams book On Burning Mirrors and Book of Optics (1021)
Al-Haytham mirrors
Al-Haytham

16th century stained glass

By 11th century, clear glass mirrors were being produced in Islamic Spain. The first glass factories were also built by Muslim craftsmen in the Islamic world.
Medieval drinking glass

The first glass factories in Christian Europe were later built in the 11th century by Muslim Egyptian craftsmen in Corinth, Greece

Modern Optics (refraction)

Willebrord Snellius (1580 1626): Law of Refraction, also known as Snells Law, is used to determine the direction of light rays through refractive media

Ibn Sahl (940 1000):

Ibn Sahl is credited with first discovering the law of refraction
He used the law of refraction to derive lens shapes that Refraction focus light with no geometric aberrations, known as anaclastic lenses (eye glasses)

Prism Light
Snell law diagram Isaac Newton Snellius Refraction Diagrams With Arabic manuscript Al-Sahl Refraction Diagrams

Pendulum
Galileo Galilei (1564 1642):
The pendulum was developed by Galileo during his teenage years
He noticed a chandelier swaying (blown by the wind), went home and invented pendulum Ibn Yunus al-Masri (950 1009): The pendulum was discovered by al-Masri during the 10th century, who was the first to study and document its oscillatory motion The crater, Ibn Yunus, on the Moon is named after him Use in clocks was introduced by Muslim physicists during the 15th century

Pendulum

Pendulum

Galileo

Ibn Yunus

Pendulum (clocks)
Clocks till 14th century:
Until the 14th century, the only type of clock available was the water clock.
In 1335, a large mechanical clock was erected in Milan, Italy. This was possibly the first weightdriven clock.

Ibn Firnas (810 887):

19th century pendulum clock

14th century clock

A variety of mechanical clocks were produced by Spanish Muslim engineers This knowledge was transmitted to Europe through Latin translations of Islamic books on mechanics. These clocks were weight-driven One such clock included a mercury escapement. The latter type was directly copied by Europeans during the 15th century. During the 9th century, Ibn Firnas The elephant clock of Islamic Spain, according to Will Durant, invented a watch-like device which kept accurate time. The Muslims also constructed a Astronomical clock` variety of highly accurate astronomical clocks for use in their observatories.

Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg (1398 1468) : Movable type printing press was invented in the West by Johannes Gutenberg of Germany during the 15th century Movable brass type was in use in Islamic Spain 100 years prior, and that is where the West's first printing devices were made.

Early Printing Press Johannes Gutenberg

Mathematics
John Napier (1550 1617) :
In 1614, John Napier invented logarithms and logarithmic tables

Al- Khwrizm (780 850):

Founder of Algebra he presented the
first systematic solution of linear and quadratic equations and invented logarithms and produced logarithmic tables several centuries prior.

Isaac Newton (1643 1727) :

Newton developed the binomial theorem, which is a crucial component for the study of algebra

Inventor of Algebra

Francois Vieta (1540 1603) :

He wrote an algebra book describing
equations with letters such as the now familiar x and y's

which he used Indian numerals including zero in place of depicting numbers by the letters of the alphabet and the decimal notations or numeration by position for the first time
theorem and initiated its use for the systematic solution of algebraic problems

Kitb Hisb al-adad al-Hind on arithmetic in

Khwarizmi utilized and perfected the binomial

Isaac Newton

Francois Vieta Mathematical instruments John Napier Al-Haytham Completing the square

Mathematics (Trigonometry)
Greeks (1400 B.C.) :
The Greeks were the developers of trigonometry

Al-Battani (858 929):

Trigonometry remained largely a theoretical science among the Greeks. It was developed to a level of modern perfection by Muslim scholars, although the weight of the credit must be given to al-Battani The words describing the basic functions of this science, sine, cosine and tangent, are all derived from Arabic terms. Thus, original contributions by the Greeks in trigonometry were minimal
Trigonometric Diagram

Greek Notations

Greeks Al-Battani

Mathematics (Cubical Equation)

Niccolo Tartaglia (1499 1557) : Omar Khayym (1048 1123): His book Treatise on Demonstration Isaac The difficult cubic equations
(x3, Third Power) remained unsolved until the 16th century when Niccolo, an Italian mathematician, solved them of Problems of Algebra gives a geometric method for solving cubic equations by intersecting a hyperbola with a circle.

Cubical Equations

Omar Khayyam

Niccolo

Book Text

Cubic equation

1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

www.muslimheritage.com Al-Khwarizmi: the inventor of algebra By Corona Brezina The rise of early modern science: Islam, china and the west BY Toby E. Huff The pursuit of learning in the Islamic world, 610-2003 By Hunt Janin "On Interlocking Similar or Corresponding Figures and Ornamental Patterns of Cubic Equations." Muqarnas (Leiden) By Alpay zdural 1996.