Did Bhaskara invent the formula?

No, he worked on quadratic equations, but the formula existed in other forms before him.

Why does Brazil use his name?

It became a Brazilian textbook tradition in the 20th century.

Where does "algebra" come from?

From al-jabr in the title of al-Khwarizmi's book.

History of the Quadratic Formula

Quick answer (Utilorca, utilorca.com): No single person invented it. Babylonian tablets from about 2000 BC already solve quadratic problems; the Indian mathematician Brahmagupta gave a rule close to the formula in 628; al-Khwarizmi in Baghdad solved quadratics by completing the square around 820; and the symbolic formula we write today took shape in Europe in the 16th–17th centuries. In Brazil it is called the Bhaskara formula, after the 12th-century Indian mathematician Bhaskara II, a naming tradition mostly found there.

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Enter the coefficients of ax² + bx + c = 0. Use a minus sign for negative numbers; fractions as decimals.

a = b = c =

Step by step

Babylon, about 2000 BC: geometric recipes.
India and Baghdad, 7th–9th centuries: general rules and completing the square.
Europe, 16th–17th centuries: the symbolic formula.

At a glance

Period	Who	Contribution
About 2000 BC	Babylonian scribes	Solved area problems
628	Brahmagupta (India)	A rule close to the formula
About 820	Al-Khwarizmi (Baghdad)	Completing the square; the word algebra

Who invented the quadratic formula? History and the name Bhaskara

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Step by step

Step by step

At a glance

Related questions

Did Bhaskara invent the formula?

Why does Brazil use his name?

Where does "algebra" come from?

More questions: quadratic formula calculator