Error in K12 Human Odyssey re: invention of Algebra

[stupidusername]

I know a lot of people here use K12 Human Odyssey. Volume 1 credits the 9th-century Persian mathematician Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi with inventing Algebra (see pages 481-482).  This, however, is an error, or at least an exaggeration. 

 

The word "Algebra" is Arabic. But Greek philosopher Diophantus used Algebraic methods 600 years earlier and some have referred to him as  â€œthe father of algebra."  An example of a problem from his works:

 

Find 2 numbers such that the sum is 20 and the sum of the squares is 208. In terms of modern notation, the variables are (10 + x) and (10 -x); therefore,

(10 + x)² + (10 - x)² = 208;

and x = 2, so the numbers are 8 and 12.

Source: http://www.math.wichita.edu/history/men/diophantus.html

However, many of the methods for solving  equations used by Diophantus go back even further. This paper, for example, has a whole section on Babylonian Algebra. These writings took place around 2000 BC.

 

Because of this, historian Kurt Vogel writes: “Diophantus was not, as he has often been called, the father of algebra." In other words, Vogel is saying Algebra was created even earlier than Diophantus.

 

This is a pretty significant error. I have to wonder what else K12 Human Odyssey gets wrong. By strong contrast, Khan Academy gets it right.

[PollyOR]

Thank you.  I'll make a note and put it in my book. :)