Is zero a number?
Yes, zero is a number. It represents nothing or no quantity, and it is also a digit used in place-value notation, so 10 and 100 can be written.
Zero has two jobs. As a digit, it is a placeholder: the 0 in 205 shows there are no tens. As a number, it stands for an amount of nothing and can be used in calculations. Zero is an integer and an even number, and it is neither positive nor negative.
Ancient Babylonians used a placeholder symbol, and the Maya had their own zero. Indian mathematicians were the first to treat zero as a number with rules. Around the year 628, Brahmagupta explained how to add, subtract and multiply with it.
How zero spread
Indian numerals, including zero, spread to the Islamic world and then to Europe. Leonardo Fibonacci promoted them in his 1202 book Liber Abaci. Today's computers depend on zero, because they store all information as combinations of 0 and 1.
Did You Know?
Dividing a number by zero is undefined in mathematics. A calculator usually shows an error if you try.