The poems of Omar Khayyam have reached us through the ages. Today everyone can enjoy his wise quatrains. But not everyone knows that Khayyam left his mark not only in poetry. In fact, he was a major mathematician and astronomer of his time.
Khayyam as a scientist
Omar Khayyam was born in the Iranian city of Nishapur in 1048. It is very likely that his father belonged to the estate of artisans. This is evidenced by the name itself - Khayyam. It translates as "tent master."
The Khayyam family had enough money to pay for the education of their child. In his youth, the future poet studied at the Nishapur Madrasah. And at that time, this institution was considered aristocratic - it was preparing future major officials. Then Omar moved to Samarkand, where he soon turned from a student into a teacher - many people were struck by his erudition. A few years later, Khayyam leaves Samarkand and settles in Bukhara. Here he manages to settle in a book depository, and he gets the opportunity to calmly compose scientific treatises.
A very important year in the biography of Omar Khayyam is 1074. This year he was invited to the capital of the Seljuk state - Isfahan. The Seljuk Sultan, Melik Shah, became interested in a learned man. The Sultan praised Khayyam’s abilities and made him his adviser. And then Khayyam became the head of the palace observatory. At that time, she was one of the most advanced in the world. And this allowed Khayyam to deeply study astronomical science and develop the Jalali calendar. This calendar was more accurate than the Julian and Gregorian.
Khayyam also made a significant contribution to algebra. We have reached two algebraic treatises of Khayyam-mathematician. In one of them, for the first time, algebra is defined as the science of solving equations. And yet Khayyam, in essence, was the first to propose a new concept of the concept of number, under which, for example, irrational numbers were suitable.
In 1092, after Melik Shah died, Khayyam’s position was shaken. He lost his authority, the widow of Melik Shah did not relate to the sage at all like her late husband. First, Omar was forced to do his work at the observatory for free, and then he did have to return to his native Nishapur. Here he lived his last years. Omar Khayyam died in 1131.
