The Discovery Of Zero

Imagine nothingness, and we will think of vacuum and empty space. A mathematician would, however, conceive a number to represent that very property. The importance of the mathematical number zero has been a highly debatable topic, and confusion and disagreement often arises, as how something that is 'nothing' can be assigned with a numerical value of zero. This is a paradox that often doesn't occur to people, unless they are presented with an idea or situation, which is highly twisted and philosophical. Despite this debate, zero is perhaps the most pervasive global system known.

Understanding and working with zero is the basis of our world today; without zero we would lack calculus, financial accounting, the ability to make arithmetic computations quickly, and, especially in today`s connected world, computers. The story of zero is the story of an idea that has aroused the imagination of great minds across the globe.

When the history behind zero was analyzed, it became known that this number had its origins in India. In Europe, it was initially believed that it originated in Arabia, but in reality, the Arabs themselves got it from India. The Greeks are most famous for their mathematical discoveries, and yet, had no representation of zero. Neither did the Romans or the Egyptians. Historians have come to agree that the Indian astronomer Brahmagupta proposed this concept in 650AD and gave a proper account of the zero.

He used dots underneath numbers to signify a zero. These dots were alternately referred to as `sunya`, which means empty, or `kha`, which means place. Brahmagupta laid the foundations for this mathematical concept, a concept, which was finally clarified and perfected by Sir Isaac Newton.

When it came to defining the concept, Brahmagupta stated, "The sum of zero and a negative number is negative, the sum of a positive number and zero is positive, the sum of zero and zero is zero. A negative number subtracted from zero is positive, a positive number subtracted from zero is negative, zero subtracted from a negative number is negative, zero subtracted from a positive number is positive, zero subtracted from zero is zero. " In simple modern terms, zero would be defined as 'A cardinal number indicating the absence of any or all units under consideration.' How important is zero? It is the number around which the negative numbers to its left stretch into infinity and the positive numbers to the right do likewise. It is neither positive nor negative. For that reason, zero is a pivotal point on thermometers and is the origin point for bathroom scales and the coordinate axis. In everyday speech, the zero is used as a type of punctuation mark, ensuring that numbers have the correct interpretation. I found a great example in this context as "If this reference to context appears silly then it is worth noting that we still use context to interpret numbers today. If I take a bus to a nearby town and ask what the fare is then I know that the answer "It`s three fifty" means three pounds fifty pence. Yet if the same answer is given to the question about the cost of a flight from Edinburgh to New York then I know that three hundred and fifty pounds is what is intended."

Zero plays a vital role in place-holding value. For example if we have a number like three hundred and 6, we need zero to show that there are no tens units. We cannot write 36 but we write 306. A zero at the end of a non-zero number can make a big difference. An additional zero at the end of your pay cheque could delight one, but the same zero at the end of your electricity bill could prove to be absolutely devastating. Therefore, in mathematical terms, zero has to be considered as a significant figure in cases like these, giving it the same status as any other number.

Zero is a non-polar number, that is, it is neither considered to be negative or positive, which makes is particularly useful for showing neutral mathematical concepts. Such concepts include the maximum and minimum values on graphs. Even differential calculus, the mathematical branch of engineering, which provides the tools for optimization, heavily relies on the number zero.

Due to the fact that it has no polarity, it is used as a fixed point or marker for many physical quantities. In most cases, it is more or less arbitrarily chosen. For example, on the Kelvin scale, zero is the coldest possible temperature while on the Celsius scale it is the freezing point of pure water. The same is with measuring sound intensity in decibels, where the zero level is set as a reference value.

One of the most technologically critical systems is hugely reliant on the number zero. This is namely, the binary numbering system. This system uses the numbers 0 and 1, to stimulate switches as on or off. Using lots of 0's and 1's leaves us with a great amount of combination results. Millions of products in today's technology run world are based on this binary system. It is important to note that, instead of using zero and one, two other numbers could have been used, such as one or two, but since zero is symbolic for nothingness or null, it is used to represent the OFF stage. Therefore, the number zero is the basis of the human's greatest invention, the computer.

When zero is used as a numerical value, it opens up a wide range of applications. For instance, it is by considering zero as a number that one is able to solve a quadratic equation, as it relies on one side being equal to zero. One may presume that solving such equations is a thing that is limited to a mathematicians use only, but in fact, it is the fundamental concept behind computers. In order to run in the desired way, a computer must solve numerous equations.

When one speaks of linear algebra, one instantly comes across terms such as span, linearly independent and linear transformation, but one word that you may not even notice due to its familiarity is zero. Scalars are often non-zero so that one can divide by them. Saying that two things are equal in algebraic proofs is not the same as equating something to zero. Zero therefore makes mathematical proofs a lot less complex and easier to prove and understand.

Zero has let mankind open up to more abstract ideas such as negative numbers, which let us solve geometric problems, which would be impossible to do so otherwise. When the Greeks solved quadratic equations, the ignored the negative answer considering it as useless, but the concept of zero and negative numbers, has given mathematical equations a different perspective. Without these, modern physics would be impossible. In that case, there would be no theory of gravity, as it requires negative potential energy, there would be no theories of movement as you need momentum calculations. Lending by banks to start businesses would be impossible without modern risk management relying on the sort of complex mathematics derived from the concept of zero. Later on, this abstract thinking allowed mathematicians to develop the idea of 'imaginary numbers', which helped them solve the complex equations that had been, developed by the Greeks. This approach had helped modern mathematicians solve problems much more efficiently, and help them gain a better understanding of concepts such as electronics.

The vastness of application of this number is boundless; however, it has its own limitations. For example, philosophers are questioning whether counting should start from zero or one. On one side of the argument states that counting should start from zero because zero is included in the number line, the other side of the argument states that counting should start from one, since zero itself is just a concept, not a manifestation of reality. This argument is further fueled by the fact that zero is at the bottom of a telephone keypad and at the end of the numbers on a computers keyboard.

Last but not least, the beauty of this number is alluring, perennially inspires the eager young minds of society and baffles many of the curious likes of many mathematical pursuits. It is important to celebrate its significance in the advance of mathematics, and more importantly, the advance of humanity. Choosing the Arab-Indian numeric system to the Roman one is the best decision the human race ever made. Would we be able to live without zero? Probably yes, but mankind would not be at the same level as it is today.