[lit-ideas] zero
- From: Robert Paul <rpaul@xxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2007 13:18:34 -0800
Andreas wrote:
And the most brilliant idea of all,
upon which modern science, mathematics, business, and technlogy is
built: Zero. Without zero, no binary mathematics. No computers.
Zero was not an Arab discovery (or invention). The word 'cipher' comes
from the Arabic 'sifr,' but the concept of zero (which appears and
disappears, only to reappear in the history of mathematics) was known
well before the _number_ zero came to have this name.
There are two uses of zero in mathematics: as a place marker
(distinguishing 15 from 105, e.g.) and as a number in its own right.
Zero as a number was discovered (or invented) in India--which has a
rich history of mathematical discovery--in ca. 650 AD.
There's a nice summary of Indian mathematics at the MacTutor website:
http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/HistTopics/Indian_mathematics.html
The site also has a history of zero--the concept and the
place-marker/number distinction. It's a very interesting account.
http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/HistTopics/Zero.html
The Mayans discovered and used zero in their base 20 mathematics; the
Mayan discovery of zero is apparently hard to date, but it was quite
ancient. Mayan mathematics had no influence on mathematics elsewhere.
(As far as I know.)
http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/HistTopics/Mayan_mathematics.html
I have a dim memory of having written about this before...
Robert Paul
The Reed Institute.
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