From calculating the radius of the earth almost a thousand years ago, to determining the exact beginnings of our seasons, here is the story of 10th-century Muslim Mathematical genius Al-Biruni
Scholars like Biruni were born at a time when much of the world's scientific and mathematical knowledge was translated into Arabic. By the time he came of age, he was also introduced to concepts developed by scholars from different civilisations and centuries. From the scientific literature of the Babylonians to those of the Romans, to ancient Indian texts on astrology, Biruni learnt from it all. Like other Muslim scholars from the Golden Age of Islam, he was also hungry for knowledge.
Back to the earth's radius- just how did he measure it? It was certainly his most remarkable achievement. He first measured the height of a hill near the Fort of Nandana in today's Punjab province of Pakistan. He then climbed the hill to measure the horizon. Using trigonometric and algebraic equations, he got the value equivalent to 3928.77 English miles, which is about 99 percent close to today's radius of the earth.
Biruni observed the solar eclipse of April 8, 1019, and the lunar eclipse of September 17, 1019. The former he saw at Lamghan, a valley surrounded by mountains between the towns of Qandahar and Kabul. He wrote; “At sunrise we saw that approximately one-third of the sun was eclipsed and that the eclipse was waning”.
Biruni’s contributions to physics include work on springs and accurate determination of the specific weight of eighteen elements and compounds including many metals and precious stones. His book "Kitab-al-Jamahir" discusses the properties of various precious stones. He was a pioneer in the study of the angles and trigonometry. He worked on shadows and chords of circles, and also developed a method for trisecting an angle.
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