Zero
Zero is the arithmetical symbol 0 or null denoting the absence of all magnitude or
quantity. Also, it is the number between the set of all negative numbers and the set of all
positive numbers.
The use of zero as a number appeared in
Egyptian number
systems. It was used, however, only between two numbers to indicate an empty position, never
at the end of a number.
While the early
Chinese
did not have a symbol for zero, the invention and use of their
abacus suggests that they had an implied appreciation for positional base notation and zero
as a number.
The Mayans did
have a zero symbol, but their inconsistency in base notation rendered it
virtually useless for computations. The first use of zero as a place holder in positional
base notation was due probably to Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi.
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