Omar Khayyám

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/omar-khayym

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Omar Khayyám born?May 18, 1048
2. Where was Omar Khayyám born?Nishapur, Seljuk Empire (modern-day Iran)
3. What is the key mathematical work?Treatise on Demonstrations of Problems of Algebra
4. Who was Omar Khayyám?Omar Khayyám was a Persian scholar born in 1048 who was a poet, mathematician, and astronomer.
5. What did Omar Khayyám do in math?He wrote a treatise that solved cubic equations using geometry and conic sections, showing a deep understanding of algebra.

Cubic Equation: A polynomial equation where the highest power of the variable is three, such as x³ + ax² + bx + c = 0.
Conic Section: A curve obtained as the intersection of the surface of a cone with a plane (e.g., circle, ellipse, parabola, hyperbola).
Tropical Year: The time it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun once, measured from one vernal equinox to the next (approximately 365.2422 days).