Abstract / Synopsis
We present a detailed look at one small section of a premodern algebra manuscript from circa 1365 C.E. The manuscript, Tratatto dell’Alcibra Amuchabile (Anonimo), is written in the Tuscan vernacular, with no symbols, no punctuation, and wildly inconsistent (pre-printing press) spellings. We present some of the hurdles to translating this “rhetorical algebra” followed by an annotated translation of one of its algebra rules, Rule 5, through which we learn the methods and mindset of algebra that preceded and seeded the breakthroughs in algebra of the 16th century. We also point to some of the significant differences between algebra then and now. Finally, we zoom out to the cultural setting that informed the applied mathematics of the day.
Recommended Citation
Olympia Nicodemi, "Translating Trattato dell'Alcibra Amuchabile," Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, Volume 16 Issue 1 (January 2026), pages 99-123. . Available at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol16/iss1/7
