The number zero appears about 17,000 years ago, but it hasn't been incorporated until 1,500 years ago in the mathematics. Zero is the only number in the numerical system that is neither positive nor negative. This concept was hard to grasp because they couldn't understand the idea of "having nothing (zero) to the value of something."
The number zero has 2 uses:
-The first one is the empty place indicator in our place-value number.
-The second one is, as a number itself.
The Babylonians did not have the characteristic of the number zero in their number system, until 400 BC that was when they introduce the number zero. Once the Babylonians started using the zero, Greeks began their contributions to mathematics, but they didn't adopt this use, because they didn't have to name the numbers, because they worked with the numbers as lenghts of a line. The first use of the number zero, was attributed to the Greek astronomy, but it has different explications about that, such as the attribution of zero to 'obol' or 'omicron'. And then we move to India, where its use began to evolve, because there was where the number and the different numerical systems were born. It is important to note at this point that there was another civilization which developed a numerical value to the zero position. Were the Mayans, who lived in Central America.
Why the Romans didn't use the number zero?
- The Romans didn't use the number zero because they used an additive system, it was the transcription of what we have.
Additive systems, using methods such as the abacus, can become more advanced systems such as positional. The Romans never used the arithmetic for doing calculations. Additive systems need special symbols for order numbers greater in magnitude than the base number, indeed, having an additive system, the Romans didn't need the zero. For its part, the first civilizations with positional systems use holes in the script, but that brought up many misunderstandings, and gradually was creating zero as we know it.
Nowadays, we use the Arab numbers, thanks to the Arab mathematician al-Khwarizmi, who adopted and introduced in Europe.
This is the fascinating story of why the Romans did not use zero. It is certainly very interesting and makes us understand a little more work today as our numbers, and also the importance of zero in mathematics.
Mathematical operations with zero.
Zero sum:
In addition, zero is the neutral element, any number a added to 0 restores to a.
Zero in multiplication:
In the product, the absorbent element is zero, any number operated with 0 gives 0.
Zero in the division:
Among the controversies that exist about zero, one of them is about the possibility of dividing by it, until reaches zero doubt about whether you can divide another number. The problem is that you use the same word, division, to refer to different things.
THIS IS THE EXPLANATION OF THE NUMBER ZERO, I THINK PERSONALLY THAT IT'S STORY IS SO INTERESTING, AND NOWADAYS THE NUMBER ZERO IS SO IMPORTANT IN OUR DAILY LIFE, BECAUSE JUST WHEN WE HAVE BORN THE NUMBER ZERO HAS REALLY EXISTED.
Very interesting this post, which makes you think a lot.
ResponderEliminarAnd I have to say in my opinion I think the zero is taken as the point of origin or reference, that is, they must exist because it is assigned to such source.
And besides this source is changing depending on our needs, for example our Western calendar started from scratch since the birth of Christ, but there is a year called zero, so zero is not a synonym of empty time. Regards!