The Importance of Zero
In mathematics, zero has turned out to be a game-changer. Before the discovery of zero to represent “nothing,” people usually would calculate mathematics normally without the concern of any number to constitute “nothing.” The concept of a number to signify “nothing” was a new concept which was very good and was needed for advanced calculations besides the simple calculations that were being calculated there before.
The concept of place value in mathematics and calculations is essential and useful in our system of numbers in the mathematics world. First, although the invention of a mark or number to signify “nothing” has to be done, the number zero (Watson, 2016). For any specific value, zero “holds the place” at the time that no other number goes in the position of zero. For instance, the number “1000” in words it means one thousand, no hundred, no tens, and no ones. Our decimal number system would have failed if the symbol for nothing did not exist
For some individuals, the concept of zero may seem to be a bit complex to understand since zero does not stand on any side on either the negative or positive side on a Cartesian plane. Again to understand the concept that zero standards for “nothing” is a complex idea since when it is used behind any number, it makes the number larger (Warren, 2016). For instance, zero can turn number three, into thirty, three hundred, and more. This idea becomes complex since naturally zero standards for nothing. However, to understand this one is supposed to know that the real numbers are zero up to number nine, the rest of the numbers from number nine are a repetition of the numbers from zero to nine repeated in a specific procedure.
References
Warren, J. W. (Ed.). (2016). Drawdown: The American Way of Postwar (Vol. 8). NYU Press.
Watson, J. (2016). Three women of mathematics. Australian Mathematics Teacher, 72(3), 19-24.