zero

Everyday

1. Zero is the number 0, which means none, nothing at all. tree →
2. Zero is the point on a scale where counting starts, such as 0 on a ruler or thermometer. tree →
3. Zero degrees Celsius is the temperature at which water freezes. tree →
4. To zero in on something is to aim straight at it or focus on it closely. tree →

In the lessons

In maths zero is the number for «none»: adding or taking away 0 changes nothing, multiplying by 0 always gives 0, and you cannot divide by 0. It is a place holder in numbers like 105 and 2,030. On a number line numbers below zero are negative. In science zero degrees Celsius is freezing point. In everyday life: «zero waste», «zero tolerance», «below zero» (very cold), «from zero to ten». Phrases: «absolute zero», «zero in on».

Examples

• Five take away five is zero. tree →
• Any number times zero is zero. tree →
• It was below zero last night, so the pond froze. tree →
• Our team scored zero goals in the first half. tree →
• Count down: three, two, one, zero, lift-off! tree →
• In the number 407 the zero holds the tens place. tree →
• The eagle zeroed in on a rabbit in the field. tree →
• The ruler starts at zero, not at one. tree →
• His first feeling was of anger; his next that his temper fell to zero. tree →

Note

Plural: zeros (also zeroes). In the UK people also say «nought» or «nil» (in football scores), and when reading phone numbers aloud people often say «oh». Zero is an even number. Zero is neither positive nor negative. In word problems «none», «no», «nothing left» mean 0. Trap: 0 ÷ 5 = 0, but 5 ÷ 0 has no answer.

In Jewish tradition

In these texts it is the number 0, talked about as a possible secret of old teachers such as the Pythagoreans.

Interpretation. The writer asks whether the zero came before the one and whether it relates to the ten numbers (Sephiroth) of Sefer Yetzirah. This is a scholar's question about where the book's numbers came from, not a fixed teaching.

Examples

• Was the Zero a secret known to the Pythagoreans.? (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →
• Some believed that the Zero, 0 preceded the One, 1. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →
• to Boethius, the Neo-Pythagoreans used as a symbol for zero. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →

Note

Plural: zeros (also zeroes). In the UK people also say «nought» or «nil» (in football scores), and when reading phone numbers aloud people often say «oh». Zero is an even number. Zero is neither positive nor negative. In word problems «none», «no», «nothing left» mean 0. Trap: 0 ÷ 5 = 0, but 5 ÷ 0 has no answer.