Arithmetic and geometry are the two oldest branches of mathematics. Algebra has its beginnings from both of them when attempts were made to generalize operations and relationships. Initially, such ideas were expressed in words; in the course of time, they were represented by some form of notation. The symbols facilitated the methods which in turn generated new concepts and methods. For instance, we are now able to solve with ease any arithmetical problem involving what we call a pair of linear equations in two unknowns through the use of the notational equations 
and 
. Around AD 825, Muḥammad ibn Mūsā al‐Khwārizmī wrote a book expressing equations in words. In order to arrive at a solution, the two sides of an equation were manipulated through two main operations which he called al‐jabr and al‐muqābala – the name “algebra” was derived from the first word.
In ancient China, arithmetic developed through the use of the rod numeral system. Arithmetic was fully developed – not only were the...
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Yong, L.L. (2008). Algebra in China. In: Selin, H. (eds) Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_8425
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