Lesson 6: Contribution of Arabs, Chinese and Indians Flashcards
When did the rise of Islamic Science have its acme?
between the 8th and 16th centuries
What is the period when Islamic Science had its acme nominally known as?
the Islamic Golden Age
Who made the camera obscura and the pinhole camera?
Ibn al-Haytham
What years were Ibn al-Haytham’s birth and death?
965; 1040
What is Ibn al-Haytham’s Latinized name?
Alhazen
Where was Ibn al-Haytham born?
Basra, Iraq
Which dynasty was Basra, Iraq a part of during Ibn al-Haytham’s time?
Buyid Dynasty
Who was the first to discover the laws of refraction?
Ibn al-Haytham
Who founded the modern scientific method?
Ibn al-Haytham
Where was the first astrolabe invented?
in either ancient Greece or India
To whom can the first astrolabe in the Muslim world be attributed to
Fazari
What years were Fazari’s birth and death?
746; 777
What were astrolabes in the Muslim world made of?
brass
What were astrolabes developed for?
navigation and for finding the quibla, the direction of the Mecca
Who created an Earth-centered planetary model?
Nasir al-din al-Tusi of Bagdad
What years were Tusi’s birth and death?
1201; 1274
Where is Tusi’s Earth-centered planetary model derived from?
from Ptolemy’s model of planetary motion after finding its flaws
Who drew from al-Tusi’s model when theorizing that the Earth revolves around the sun
Copernicus
What is the name of the ancient Maragheh Observatory built for Tusi?
Rasad Kaneh
When was Rasad Kaneh built?
in the 13th century
Who authored an influential multi-volume encyclopedia of all known medical knowledge at the time?
Doctor Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi
What years were Al-Razi’s birth and death?
865; 925
What is Al-Razi’s Latinized name?
Rhazes
Who created a monograph on smallpox and measles?
al-Razi
Who pioneered the study of the pulmonary circulation of blood?
Ibn al-Nafis
What years were Al-Nafis’ birth and death?
1213; 1288
Where was Al-Nafis born in?
Damascus
Who was the first to recognize that lungs purify blood?
Ibn al-Nafis
Who is considered to be the father of algebra?
Muhammad ibn Musa Al-Khawarzmi
What years were Al-Khwarzmi’s birth and death?
780; 850
Where did the term “algebra” come from?
from a-jabr, one of the operations used to solve quadratic equations in Al-Khwarzmi’s book
Why is Al-Khwarzmi considered to be the father of algebra?
because his book “Algebra” is the first treatise on the systematic solutions of linear and quadratic equations
Who introduced the decimal positioning system?
Al-Khawarzmi
Who made a significant innovation regarding paper-making?
a eunuch named Cai Lun
What years were Cai Lun’s birth and death?
50; 121
Where did Cai Lun’s advanced paper-making technology then spread to?
Central Asia and the rest of the world through the Silk Road
(True/False) Paper existed before Cai Lun’s invention
True
When was woodblock printing used?
during the Tang and Song Dynasties
Who invented movable type printing?
Bi Sheng
What years were Bi Sheng’s birth and death?
990; 1051
How does the movable type printing function?
(1) it makes use of individually carved characters on pieces of clay before hardening them with fire; (2) these pieces were later glued to an iron plate to print a page; (3) then broken up and redistributed for another page
Where did the movable type printing then spread to?
across Europe, leading up to the Renaissance, then later spread all around the world
How long did the Tang Dynasty last?
618 to 907
How long did the Song Dynasty last?
960 to 1279
Who invented gunpowder?
Chinese Taoists alchemists
When was gunpowder invented?
about 1000 AD
Why was gunpowder invented?
finding a potion to gain immortality
What are the three ingredients of gunpowder?
elemental sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter (potassium nitrate),
Where did gunpowder spread to?
to Europe during the Mongol expansion of 1200-1300
(True/False) The Chinese used gunpowder to create cannons and guns, while Europeans used it for firecrackers.
False
The Chinese used this discovery mainly for firecrackers while Europeans created cannons and guns and dominated China in the mid-1800s.
How was the compass initially used?
Feng Shui (or the practice of arranging pieces in living spaces to create balance with the natural world).
When was the compass invented?
between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD
When and how did the purpose of the compass shift?
By 1000 AD, navigational compasses were commonly used on Chinese ships
Who learned the technology of the compass and brought it to the West?
Arab traders
Who are widely believed to be the first brewers?
inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula
When was the belief that the inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula were the first brewers disproven?
2013
How was the belief that the inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula were the first brewers disproven?
a 9000-year-old pottery found in the Henan province revealed the presence of alcohol, 1000 years before the Arabs did
What is alcohol also known as in Chinese culture, and what is it used for?
alcohol, known as ‘Jiu,’ was used for spiritual offerings to honor the heavens, the earth, and ancestors
In ancient China, what was the typical alcoholic content percentage of beer?
4% to 5%
(True/False) Alcohol is mentioned on oracle bone inscriptions.
True
What was the world’s first mechanical clock called?
the ‘Spherical Birds’
Who invented the world’s first mechanical clock and when?
the Buddhist monk Yi Xing; 725 AD
How was the world’s first mechanical clock operated?
by dripping water which powered a wheel that made one revolution in 24 hours
Who developed a more sophisticated clock and when?
Su Song; 1092
What was Su Song’s clock called?
the Cosmic Empire
Who first discovered tea according to old Chinese legend?
Shennong, the Chinese Father of Agriculture
When was tea discovered according to old Chinese legend?
2737 BC
When did tea become a popular drink enjoyed by all social classes?
Tang Dynasty (618-907)
What is The Book of Tea also known as, and who wrote it?
Cha Jing; by Lu Yu in the Tang Dynasty
What were the contents of Cha Jing?
ways to cultivate tea, tea drinking and different classifications of tea in details
(True/False) Cha Jing is considered the world’s first monograph about tea.
True
Where can the world’s oldest and largest living tea tree be found and how old is it?
Lin Cang, China; 3,200 years old
What is considered to be one of the oldest fibers?
Silk
When was silk discovered?
4000-3000 BC
Where was the earliest evidence of silk discovered?
Yangshao culture site in Xiaxian County, Shanxi Province, China
(True/False) Chinese people openly shared the process of making silk to the West.
False
Chinese people kept it a closely guarded secret, and the West had to pay gold of the same weight for the silks.
How early can the invention of the umbrella be traced back?
as early as 3500 years ago
Who created the umbrella according to Chinese folklore?
Lu Ban, a Chinese carpenter and inventor
What inspired Lu Ban to create the umbrella?
children using lotus leaves as rain shelter
What was Lu Ban’s umbrella made of?
a flexible framework covered by a cloth
What is the oldest Chinese medicine book?
Neijing
What is Neijing also known as?
The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine
What two proofs show that acupuncture was widely used as a therapy in Ancient China?
(1) Neijing contains information regarding the usage of acupuncture
(2) the tomb of Prince Liu Sheng who died in 200, had acupuncture needles inside
When was iron smelting technology developed in Ancient China?
5th Century BC in the Zhou Dynasty
How long did the Zhou Dynasty last?
1050 BC-256 BC)
When is China considered to have gone into a flourishing period for iron smelting?
During The Spring & Autumn period and Warring States period
How long did The Spring & Autumn period last?
776 BC to 476 BC
How long did the Warring States period last?
476 BC-221 BC
When did the central government monopolize the iron smelting in Ancient China?
in the Han Dynasty
How long did the Han Dynasty last?
202 BC to 220 AD
When did the earliest porcelain emerge qnd when did it mature?
the Shang Dynasty; the Tang Dynasty
