Zero

Zero – 0

Order	nil
Numbers: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Zero is the special number. If are are zero things, are are not any things. There are none.

Example

John has zero hats. John has no hat. John does not have the hat.

Symbol

The symbol for the number zero is "0".

Arithmetic with Zero

Zero is the special number. That is because:

• If you add the number to zero, you get that number. For example, if you add three to zero, you get three. In symbols:

3 + 0 = 3

• If you subtract zero from the number, you get that number. For example, if you subtract zero from three, you get three. In symbols:

3 - 0 = 3

• If you multiply the number with zero, you get zero. For example, if you multiply forty three with zero you get zero. In symbols:

43 x 0 = 0

• You can't divide the number by zero. That is against the rules of arithmetics. If you divide any number by zero with the calculator, you get an error.

History

In the ninth century Muhammad Ibn Musa al-Khawarazmi journeyed east to India to learn the sciences of that time. He introduced Hindu numerals, including the concept of zero into the Arab world. This number system was later transmitted to the West. The earliest Arab zero on record dates from the year 873, whereas the earliest Hindu zero is dated 876. Later on after four hundred years, Europe was convinced on the newly introduced number.

Less Simple

The number zero is not the positive number. The number zero is not the negative number. The number zero is the whole number. The number zero is not usually an ordinal number The number zero is an even number. Any number divided by itself yields the result of one, except if that number is zero. In symbols:

0 ÷ 0 = "not the number."

When measuring time, zero means "now'. For example, John is counting the time to an event. John counts "..., T minus 3, T minus 2, T minus 1, T minus 0". The time "T minus 0" is the same as the time of the event. If John is counting the time since an event, John counts "T plus 1, T plus 2, T plus 3,..."