I. Introduction to algebra
In ancient times, when arithmetic accumulated a large number of solutions to various quantitative problems, in order to find a systematic and more universal method to solve various quantitative relations, elementary algebra centered on the principle of solving algebraic equations was produced.
For example, algebra is to find an English letter to replace that very difficult unknown. For example, if a-b=2, then too much can satisfy a-b=2, 4-2 = 2,10-8 = 2,976-974 = 2.
Second, the origin of algebra
"Algebra", as a proprietary mathematical term, represents a branch of mathematics. It was officially used in China, and it was first used in 1859. That year, Li, a mathematician in Qing Dynasty, and Leali, an Englishman, translated a book written by Di Yaogan, an Englishman. The name of the translation is algebra. Of course, the contents and methods of algebra have long been produced in ancient China. For example, there are equation problems in "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic".
The origin of algebra can be traced back to the Babylonian era, when people developed a more advanced arithmetic system, which enabled them to calculate by algebraic methods. Through the use of this system, they can list and solve equations with unknowns, which are generally solved by linear equations, quadratic equations and indefinite linear equations today. In contrast, most Egyptians in this period and most Indian, Greek and China mathematicians in the 1 century BC generally used geometric methods to answer such questions, such as those described in Rand's mathematical cursive book Rope Sutra, Geometry Elements and Nine Chapters of Arithmetic. Greece's work in geometry, taking geometry as a classic, provides a framework and generalizes the formulas for solving specific problems into a more general system for describing and solving algebraic equations.