• About Us – My Woven Words
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • Contact Us – My Woven Words
  • DONATE
  • Home Page – My Woven Words
  • JOHNSON ADÉ OKÙNADÉ
  • OLADELE ABIGAIL
  • OSCA SUCCESSFUL ENTRY
  • OSCA TERMS AND CONDITIONS
  • OSCA WOVEN WORDS COMPETITION
  • Privacy Policy for My Woven Words
  • robot.txt
  • SUBMIT OSCA WOVEN WORDS COMPETITION WRITE UP
  • SUBSCRIBE AND STAY WOVEN
  • Write For Us – My Woven Words
WELCOME TO MY WOVEN WORDS
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
WELCOME TO MY WOVEN WORDS
No Result
View All Result

MyWovenWords » THE UNTOLD STORY ABOUT THE INVENTION OF ‘ZERO’

THE UNTOLD STORY ABOUT THE INVENTION OF ‘ZERO’

by Johnson Okùnadé
November 22, 2017
in Woven History, Woven Tech
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
0
THE UNTOLD STORY ABOUT THE INVENTION OF ‘ZERO’
TABLE OF CONTENTS show
Making Something Out Of Nothing
Zero Goes Abroad
SHARE THIS POST:

When you were a little kid, even before you ever dealt with your first word problem in math class, you probably had to solve a problem something like this. You have four Starbursts, and you eat four Starbursts. What are you left with? That’s right: sadness. And also no candy. But though even small kids can understand “nothing,” the concept of “zero” is actually a bit more advanced; so advanced, in fact, that by the year 1200 C.E., it had only just barely reached the brightest mathematicians in Europe. This is the story of the invention of zero, and how a whole lot of nothing ended up changing the world.

Making Something Out Of Nothing

It almost sounds impossible that ancient people wouldn’t have the concept of “zero.” Even animals can understand nothingness — just let your cat’s dish go empty if you don’t believe us. But there’s a big difference between nothing as a tangible emptiness and zero as a mathematical concept. One forerunner of the mathematical zero can be seen in the earliest known counting system, devised by the Sumerians. At first, they’d use a blank space to indicate a nothing value, and when that grew confusing, they began using a pair of angled wedges as a placeholder for a blank space. But in a sense, that symbol indicated a lack of a number, not a number in and of itself.
Similar placeholders for an empty value can be found in other counting systems, including those of the Mayans and the Babylonians. But most scholars agree that zero as a mathematical concept originated in India. The earliest use of the round symbol that would become the universal zero comes from the Bakhshali manuscript, a merchant’s document explaining mathematical equations for various transactions. It also included a placeholder zero in the form of a little black dot, and was in common parlance in India in the 3rd or 4th centuries C.E. Just a couple of centuries later, the symbol was used by legendary mathematical scholar Brahmagupta. In the 7th century, he wrote the earliest surviving explanation of how, exactly zero works: “When zero is added to a number or subtracted from a number, the number remains unchanged. A number multiplied by zero becomes zero.”
He also worked out that subtracting a positive number from zero gave you a negative number, and that subtracting a negative number from zero gave you a positive. That’s the first known account of knowing how zero works in relation to other numbers, and we can only assume he went on to coin the phrase, “Ditch the zero, get with the hero.”

Zero Goes Abroad

After zero caught on in the Indian subcontinent, it was only a matter of time before other cultures began to recognize its significance. China and the Arabian peninsula were first (although it’s worth noting that some historians believe the Arabic zero was a direct descendant of the zero precursors of Sumeria and Babylon), and it was in the Arabic numeral system that it first took the form of an empty oval. Muslim mathematicians called the symbol “sifr” (anglicized as “cipher”), and with it, invented both algebra and algorithms. And as Islam spread to Africa, zero came along for the ride.
But after that, it ran into some issues. Namely, Europeans. When the Moors conquered Spain, they brought their math along with them, and from there, zero made it to Italy. Where it was promptly outlawed. Yes, religious leaders of Europe saw the devil in that little blank circle, which they strongly associated with Islam. But the number didn’t stop being useful, and merchants knew that very well. So when they’d include zeroes on their ledgers, they did so in secret — and the word “cipher” came to be synonymous with “code” in the process.
For European mathematics, the taboo didn’t last. Without zero, Newton and Leibniz wouldn’t have been able to come up with calculus, Descartes couldn’t have figured out how to graph points, and car dealers wouldn’t be able to dazzle customers with the mysterious phrase “0% APR.”
Source: Eagle Headline

SHARE THIS POST:
Previous Post

LOVE LANGUAGE: AN ESSENTIAL KEY TO SUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS

Next Post

I WISH THEY ARE ALL UGLY AGAIN

Related Posts

Woven Culture

Biography of Oba Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye, The Soun of Ogbomoso

Langtang: Home of Fearless Tarok Militias and Generals
Woven Culture

Langtang: Home of Fearless Tarok Militias and Generals

Tarok People
Woven Culture

The Tarok People of Langtang, Plateau State, Nigeria

The Biography of Alaafin of Oyo Lamidi Olayiwola Atanda Adeyemi III
Woven Biography

The Biography of Alaafin of Oyo Lamidi Olayiwola Atanda Adeyemi III

Ooni Ajagun Ademiluyi Ademakin: The 48th Ooni of Ife
Woven Culture

Ooni Ajagun Ademiluyi Ademakin: The 48th Ooni of Ife

Morrebs Build Website
Sponsored Post

10 Reason Why You Need a Website Developed by Morrebs

The History of Fiditi, Oyo State
Woven Culture

The History of Fiditi, Oyo State

Baba Keji 5
Woven Culture

Baba Keji: A 118 Years Old Man Who Has Served Three Alaafin of Oyo

Eko Dara Pupo
Woven Entertainment

Eko Dara Pupo (1987) – By Princess Bunmi Olajubu

Load More

COMMENT; JOIN THIS CONVERSATION!Cancel reply

Donate

Recent Posts

  • Biography of Queen Omo Ghandi Olaoye of Ogbomoso
  • Egungun Ajómọ́gbódó: Documentary of African’s Power at its Peak
  • Biography of Oba Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye, The Soun of Ogbomoso
  • Yakat: Sweet Rhythmic Tarok Song – MilliCrownz Ft N.I
  • How to Prepare Amora a Typical Tarok Food (Amwam)
  • A Recipe for Masa (Rice Cake)
  • A Recipe For Plateau Food Gote (Gwote) or Acha
  • Langtang: Home of Fearless Tarok Militias and Generals
  • The Tarok People of Langtang, Plateau State, Nigeria
  • Biography of Late Brig-General John Nanzip Shagaya (rtd)
  • Biography of Sir Joseph Ntung Ari, DG of ITF
  • The Biography of General Domkat Yah Bali, The Late Ponzhi Tarok
  • Download Mwaghavul Mu Yaghal Audio Music By Ezra Jinang
  • Download Likitan Likitoci Audio Music by Ezra Jinang
  • Download Plateau Mulkin Sama Audio Music by Ezra Jinang
  • Download Rawan Plateau Audio Music by Ezra Jinang

Donate

Advertise
advertise with us Woven

Subscribe to Woven TV

KINDLY SUBSCRIBE TO OUR MAILING LIST!

STAY WOVEN!!!

Get our latest updates and exclusive contents on a platter of gold!

We only write what is right

ABOUT US

My Woven Words is an online platform with the sole purpose of promoting and providing quality lifestyle content on a platter of gold. Founded in 2016, today, it is one of the most visited blogs in Nigeria as a great repository of awesome and propelling write-ups.

As of July 2021, My Woven Words Boast of more than 1,500 lifestyle blog posts/articles which makes it a world-class platform where everyone access loads of Historical/cultural content | Poems | Short stories | Contents on Health and Personal Hygiene | Old/Rare Music Download | Isese Music Download | African Folktales | Motivation | Food Recipes | Biographies | Interviews | Relationship Tips, and much more exquisite, best write-up ever. All the contents are verified, detailed, and well-written.

 

Email Us: [email protected]

Call Us: +2349078111978

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2021 by My Woven Words: No part of this published blog post and all of its contents may be reproduced, on another platform or webpage without a prior permission from My Woven Words except in the case of brief quotations cited to reference the source of the blogpost and all its content and certain other uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, contact the admin on [email protected], or Call him on +2349078111978

 

© 2016 - 2023 My Woven Words - We Only Write What Is Right | Developed by Morrebs ICT

No Result
View All Result
  • About Us – My Woven Words
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • Contact Us – My Woven Words
  • DONATE
  • Home Page – My Woven Words
  • JOHNSON ADÉ OKÙNADÉ
  • OLADELE ABIGAIL
  • OSCA SUCCESSFUL ENTRY
  • OSCA TERMS AND CONDITIONS
  • OSCA WOVEN WORDS COMPETITION
  • Privacy Policy for My Woven Words
  • robot.txt
  • SUBMIT OSCA WOVEN WORDS COMPETITION WRITE UP
  • SUBSCRIBE AND STAY WOVEN
  • Write For Us – My Woven Words

© 2016 - 2023 My Woven Words - We Only Write What Is Right | Developed by Morrebs ICT

Sorry, cannot copy or rightclick.