who discovered the quadratic formula

The quadratic formula was not discovered by one single person; it evolved over many centuries across several civilizations.

Quick Scoop

• Ancient Babylonian, Greek, Chinese, and Indian mathematicians all solved specific quadratic equations using geometric or arithmetic methods long before the modern formula existed.

• In 628 CE, the Indian mathematician Brahmagupta gave one of the first explicit algebraic-style solutions for quadratic equations, though not yet in fully general modern form.

• In the 9th century, the Persian mathematician al-Khwarizmi systematically solved quadratics using methods equivalent to completing the square, a key step toward the modern formula.

• In 1594, Simon Stevin wrote down a version of the quadratic formula that covered all cases, making it effectively general.

• In 1637, René Descartes published the formula in essentially the symbolic form used in algebra today in his work La Géométrie.

So, if someone asks “who discovered the quadratic formula,” the most accurate short answer is that it was developed gradually , with major milestones from Brahmagupta and al-Khwarizmi, and the fully general symbolic form crystallizing with Simon Stevin and René Descartes.

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