Which mechanism enabled medieval Islamic engineers to determine canal dimensions using hydraulics and polynomial equations?

💡 Explanation

When designing irrigation systems, engineers used algebraically derived cubic equations to model canal water flow, using approximation algorithms, like Cardano's method, to estimate their real roots to determine canal dimensions. Therefore, root approximation algorithms were used rather than differential calculus or Fourier series which hadn't been created yet, or Boolean algebra which is irrelevant.

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