Abstract / Synopsis
There are many known examples of divisibility rules in modern mathematics. However, some of these rules are far from being practical, such as the current divisibility rule by 7. A far more useful method can be found in the work of the tenth-century Islamic mathematician Abū al-Ḥasan al-Uqlīdisī (d. 980), who proposed a divisibility rule for 7 in his treatise Kitāb al-Fuṣūl fī al-Ḥisāb al-Hindī. Compared to modern techniques, Uqlīdisī’s rule is both simpler and more practical. This article (re)introduces this rule, and provides an exposition of the mathematical reasoning that underpins it.
DOI
10.5642/jhummath.IFFN4961
Recommended Citation
Müjdat Takıcak & Mertkan Şimşek, "A Practical Rule of Divisibility By 7 in Uqlīdisī’s Kitāb al-Fuṣūl fī al-Ḥisāb al-Hindī," Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, Volume 15 Issue 2 (July 2025), pages 4-36. DOI: 10.5642/jhummath.IFFN4961. Available at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol15/iss2/3
