HISTORY OF THE ZERO

The credit for the invention of the number Zero goes to Indian mathematicians as early as 5th century, who used it widely in calculations, astronomy and astrology. Zero was spread by Arabians to the Europe and there on it was spread all over. Before this, all Europeans used roman numerical which were difficult to calculate on as they were in the form of Symbols, lengthy and had limits. The number Zero first appears in a book about ‘Arithmetic’ written by the ancient Indian mathematician Brahamagupta. The Zero signifies "nothing"; the current definition of the Zero identifies it as an "additive identity".


Mathematically; X + Zero = X

ergo: Zero is a number which, when added to another number, yields that same number.


When we go deeper, it becomes clearer that the things are much more complex. It wasn’t that somebody suddenly came up with the idea of the zero and the mathematicians throughout the world accepted it. Around 500 AD, Aryabhata, an Indian mathematician, devised a numbers system and the symbol he used for the number zero was also the number used to represent an unknown element (x). This system was confusing but the improvements continued and by 876 AD, the concept of zero was mostly understood and the symbol for it was ascertained.

The Indian mathematicians Bhaskara, Mahavira and Brahamagupta worked on this new number and they tried to explain its properties. Some were true and some were not.


For example, Bhaskara correctly that stated:


0 x 2 = 0

and

? x 0 = 0


but he was wrong to have supposed that n/0 = ?. If n/0 = ? were to be true there would arise results which don’t make sense. One of them was 1 = 2 = 3 . . .

The reason of this was that the Indian mathematicians could not conclude that no number could be divided by zero. The Maya people in present day Mexico knew and understood the concept of zero but because they were so much disconnected with the rest of the world civilizations, it had little impact on the rest of the world.


The concept of the Zero played a major role in seeing the growth of higher mathematics which was a major step in the history of Mankind. The Zero is also a synonym of the word "none". Although there are many stories that surround the invention of the Zero, studies show that the Zero was independently invented by a group of people from the Mayan civilization. At that time, the decimal system was in use just as it is today only that a space was left to indicate a zero up until the third century BC. There is also a claim that tracks the invention of zero back to 300 B.C in Babylon. All these inventions were independently made, and were not connected.

The ZERO is something beyond numbers or anything Mathematical.

The Hindu Vedas - the primary texts of Hinduism - and the Bhagavadgita - the battlefield conversations of Sri Krishna to Arjuna during the Kurukshetra War - you will know what is Zero and its significance.

ZERO STANDS FOR :

* Shoonya means everything in this universe is 0, at a given point of time.

* ZERO was the one which paved way for the scientists to think as "what is further".

* ZERO indicates that the whole UNIVERSE is Zero when you understand life.

It is never ending because, as the Hindu culture from which it is derived, it is massive, dynamic & beyond all knowledge, wisdom & understanding.



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