The Concept of Zero and the Decimal System
CONCEPT OF ZERO
Today, the word ‘zero’ is in popular use world-wide. You open any book of academic interest and you will invariably find the term ‘zero’(0). The concept of “Zero” has been invented by an Indian mathematician named Aryabhatta around the 6 th century AD and was in use since then. It has tremendous significance, especially in the field of mathematics and computers. Zero is indeed the gift given by the Indians to the world.
Importance in Arithmetic:
Zero, as we all know forms the basis of arithmetic. It acts as a boundary between the negative and positive numbers; it is the only digit which has neither a positive value nor a negative value. It acts as a “filler” and takes the place of empty values in 10,100 ,1000 etc (but gives a greater value to the number as a whole!). Conversely, zeros before the decimal point on the left side of the number, decreases the value of the number.
Though, it is mentioned that zero is known to mankind only after Aryabhatta’s invention, there is evidence to show that zero was used way back in the age of the immortal epic ‘Ramayana’. Sage Valmiki, while describing the strength of Sugriva’s army, states in the epic as follows:
“A hundred thousand crores is reckoned as a Shanku. A hundred thousand Shankus are said to be one Maha Shanku. A hundred thousand Maha Shankus are called one Vrindam here. A hundred thousand Vrindas are said to be one Maha vrindam. A hundred thousand Mahavrindas are called one Padmam here. A hundred thousand padmas are said to be one Mahapadmam. A hundred thousand Mahapadmas are called one Kharvam here. A hundred thousand kharvas are said to be one Mahakharvam. A hundred thousand Mahakharvas are called one Samundram. A hundred thousand Samudras are said to be one ogha here. A hundred thousand oghas are acclaimed a one Mahaugha. This Sugreeva, the king of monkeys, having great strength and valour, always surrounded by a colossal army, is approaching you to make war, accompanied by the valiant Vibhishana and the ministers, as also a hundred thousand crores of Shankas, a thousand Mahashankus, a hundred Vrindas, a thousand mahavrindas, a hundred padmas, a thousand Mahapadmas, a hundred kharves, samudras and Mahaughas of the same number, and a crore of Mahanghas wholearmy as such is identical of an ocean.”
Importance in Algebra and Physics:
Zero is taken as a starting point in graphs. When the line crosses the vertical axis, the X value is zero and if the line crosses the horizontal axis, the Y value is zero. Also, it is a well-known fact that water freezes at zero degrees Celsius. The word zero is often taken to mean “none”, as in zero-tolerance, zero-emissions etc.
Importance in Finance and Accounting:
Just as in arithmetic, it serves as a boundary between profit and loss. In banking, a zero-percent finance is that which gives loan with no interest. Similarly, a ‘zero balance’ in an account means that there is no balance.
Importance in Computers:
As we all know, computer recognizes binary language, which comprises wholly of 0’s and 1’s. The 0 is used to depict the “off” state of the internal electronic components. This is known as the language of the computers and enables the programmers to better concentrate on the code without much confusion.
Why is a score of ‘0’ termed as love in tennis? A well-known explanation is that the French word for “egg”, which is in the shape of 0 is l'oeuf; therefore, the zero score has been gradually transformed into the word “love”. Tennis, as it is known, has its origin in France in the 11-12 th century.
DECIMAL SYSTEM
Decimal system, otherwise known as Hindu-Arabic system, also had its origin in India, over 2000 years ago, from where it had spread throughout the world.
It is a number system wherein 10 is the base (decem is Latin means ten). Here, any number- be it a big whole number or a tiny fraction-is written using the 10 basic digits of 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0. The decimal separator or a decimal point is used to separate the integral (or whole number) parts and the fractional parts. Numbers are placed to the left or right of the decimal point to indicate greater of lesser than 1.
For instance the number 17.59 is (1*101)+(7*100) + (5*10-1) + (9*10-2) . It, therefore, becomes easier to express a multi-digit number as a multiples of the base number. Its significance is very much apparent in areas dealing with very large quantities, like astronomical distances or very minute quantities like the size of an ion. The importance of zero and the decimal system is, thus, immense and can never be underestimated.
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