In Almaty, a presentation of the scientific and educational magazine titled «Әл-Жәбрдің атасы» («Father of Algebra») took place, aiming to popularize mathematics and exact sciences among school students. The chief editor of the magazine is the renowned mathematician Askar Zhumadildayev.
«In childhood, we used to subscribe to several magazines, such as ‘Қазақстан пионері,’ ‘Балдырған,’ ‘Ғылым және еңбек.’ Unfortunately, about 40 years have passed since the closure of the ‘Ғылым және еңбек’ (Science and Labor) magazine. Today, more than 10,000 newspapers and magazines are published in Kazakhstan, but among them, there is neither a magazine nor a newspaper dedicated to science. Thanks to such publications, my interest in science was awakened, so my dream was to publish such a magazine. Today, with the support of the Qalan.kz platform, this has become a reality,» said Askar Zhumadildayev.
The first issue of the magazine was published with a circulation of 2,000 copies.
Academician Askar Zhumadildayev expressed hope that the magazine would become public property and contribute to the popularization of exact sciences among youth.
According to him, the magazine’s name was chosen in honor of Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, considered the «father of algebra.» The great scientist made a significant contribution to world civilization, introducing algebra and algorithms.
«The name of the magazine was not chosen randomly. The greatest scientist of the 9th century, mathematician and astronomer Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, is considered the ‘father of algebra.’ He had a work titled ‘Al-Jabr.’ Al-Khwarizmi made a huge contribution to world civilization, giving the world algebra. It is a great honor for us to publish a magazine bearing his name,» noted Askar Zhumadildayev.
The magazine is dedicated to engaging questions and problems in mathematics, physics, and other natural sciences. The magazine’s permanent sections were explained in more detail by the scientific editor, Asyltay Tasbolat.
«In the ‘Research’ section, we talked about the rotation of the Earth and phenomena related to it. This section will feature articles on mathematics and closely related exact sciences, such as physics and astronomy. Additionally, in the magazine, we address career guidance questions. We will also promote young people who have achieved success in the field of science. Materials will be published in collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences. To receive feedback from students, we present several sections, such as ‘Тай жарыс,’ ‘Қатені тап,’ and ‘Ғылым қазығы.’ Also, in the ‘Жаңарған ұлттар’ section, we will talk about the history of nations or countries that have achieved scientific and technical progress. The ‘Терминком Аль-Джабира’ will help children learn new terms; this section is also useful for teachers methodologically,» said Asyltay Tasbolat.
The managing editor of the magazine, Oralai Aleidarova, noted that the preparation for the first issue of the magazine was meticulous: the editorial team studied the experiences of other magazines that popularize science.
«I studied all children’s and scientific magazines, including all issues of the ‘Ғылым және еңбек’ from the 60s to the 80s. When writing articles, we tried to provide children with the most understandable information. Adapting scientific material to a child’s language is not easy, but we tried,» she said.
Each material in the magazine is accompanied by illustrations by Rabiga Satybaldy.