Is Zero a number?
Not many people realize that zero is not a trivial concept. It took a long time for people to accept it as a number, because it was hard to imagine. What are zero oranges? zero naira? Can you picture it? .....to be continued.
Not many people realize that zero is not a trivial concept. It took a long time for people to accept it as a number, because it was hard to imagine. What are zero oranges? zero naira? Can you picture it? .....to be continued.
I've always been a little concerned about the fact that divisions claim zero as answer when the numerator is 0 and the denominator nonzero. Just today, I pondered the matter seriously. Where exactly do the numbers go? I'm not a maths student BTW.
ReplyDeleteDivision is defined in terms of multiplication. 0/n=0 is the same as 0*n=0 . Numbers are just concepts. Zero happens to be the number with the above property. It is part of the axioms of normal everyday mathematics. (there is abnormal not everyday Maths) . Let me know if you need more explanations. :)
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