In 1145, Robert translated The Rules of Restoration and Reduction into Latin. Al-jabr became “algeber,” and al-Khwarizmi became “Algoritmi.” At that time, “algorismus” referred generally to any kind of mathematical procedure using Hindu-Arabic numerals, and those who practiced such an art were called algorists. (That term was adopted by visual artists using algorithmic processes beginning in the 1960s, but it seems apt for anyone working on today’s version of algorithms.) The long arc of algorithm’s etymology shows that calculations are a product of human art and labor as much as repeatable
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