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Is Zero a number?
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Poll: Do you think zero is a number?
Yes
(165)
75.69%
No
(35)
16.06%
Unsure
(18)
8.26%
W_F_HUMPHREYS
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#1
Hi,
Basically i'm doing an Extended project this year based on whether zero is a number. If anyone has any views, or simply whether they believe it is a number or not - please comment. It would be much appreciated as this will give me the view of young people from a variety of backgrounds.
Thanks.
Basically i'm doing an Extended project this year based on whether zero is a number. If anyone has any views, or simply whether they believe it is a number or not - please comment. It would be much appreciated as this will give me the view of young people from a variety of backgrounds.
Thanks.
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Mr M
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#2
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#2
Now I've heard everything. This is going to make a very brief Extended Project.
What do you think it is by the way? An elephant?
What do you think it is by the way? An elephant?
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IAmTheChosenOne
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#3
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#3
"Number". Define it.
Lol 
(Original post by Mr M)
Now I've heard everything. This is going to make a very brief Extended Project.
What do you think it is by the way? An elephant?
Now I've heard everything. This is going to make a very brief Extended Project.
What do you think it is by the way? An elephant?
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TenOfThem
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#4
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#4
I could tell you what I think but sadly I am not young 
I am intrigued re this EP .. is it about zero or (young) people's perceptions of zero
I am intrigued re this EP .. is it about zero or (young) people's perceptions of zero
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boromir9111
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#5
crazycake93
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#6
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#6
Can't wait for your imminent dissertation that will follow, at uni entitiled:
" Is any number, a number"
" Is any number, a number"
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Astonix
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#7
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#7
No, it's a placeholder.
Edit:
The book I have "Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers" states zero is the identity for addition (and subtraction) since x + 0 = 0 + x = x for all x. It also states it is not equal in status to other numbers (implying it is a number) as you cannot divide by 0 either.
As it's not equal to other numbers, it could be considered not a number at all.
Also OP, even with all the philosophy of zero, you wont have much to write about (how much do you have to write? You might be able to). I suggest another Maths topic such as Prime numbers. You could look at primeness, Fermat Numbers, Mersenne Numbers, Prime Number Theorem, Prime Testing Method of Fermat, Goldbach Conjectures, Twin Primes and Application of Prime numbers. There's a whole hog to write about there
Edit:
The book I have "Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers" states zero is the identity for addition (and subtraction) since x + 0 = 0 + x = x for all x. It also states it is not equal in status to other numbers (implying it is a number) as you cannot divide by 0 either.
As it's not equal to other numbers, it could be considered not a number at all.
Also OP, even with all the philosophy of zero, you wont have much to write about (how much do you have to write? You might be able to). I suggest another Maths topic such as Prime numbers. You could look at primeness, Fermat Numbers, Mersenne Numbers, Prime Number Theorem, Prime Testing Method of Fermat, Goldbach Conjectures, Twin Primes and Application of Prime numbers. There's a whole hog to write about there
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stephie.u3
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#8
TheJ0ker
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#9
james22
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#10
chickenonsteroids
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#11
Swayum
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#12
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#12
I don't think this question is as trivial as people are making it out to be. Let's consider some properties of 0:
0 + x = x, no other number has this property
0*x = 0, no other number has this property
x/0 cannot be defined, no other number has this property
0 didn't exist in mathematics for a pretty long time until it was added by people in India, very few numbers are like this.
0 is the only finite hyperreal number as far as I know (but I could be very wrong here).
0 is both on the real number axis and the complex number axis, no other number has this property.
In base 10, 0 is clearly a very special number because it appears infinitely many times after a terminating decimal. Also, it appears infinite many times BEFORE any finite number, i.e. 456 = 000000...456. That's a lot unlike any other number. You also get this weird property that 0.9999... (recurring) = 1.0000... (recurring), i.e. it has a weird relationship with the number 9 in base 10 (or, in base k, with the number k-1)
The list goes on. Why does 0 not behave like other numbers if it is a number? Why is it so special?
There's a whole book on the number 0 (called 'Zero' I believe), look it up. Heard it's good.
0 + x = x, no other number has this property
0*x = 0, no other number has this property
x/0 cannot be defined, no other number has this property
0 didn't exist in mathematics for a pretty long time until it was added by people in India, very few numbers are like this.
0 is the only finite hyperreal number as far as I know (but I could be very wrong here).
0 is both on the real number axis and the complex number axis, no other number has this property.
In base 10, 0 is clearly a very special number because it appears infinitely many times after a terminating decimal. Also, it appears infinite many times BEFORE any finite number, i.e. 456 = 000000...456. That's a lot unlike any other number. You also get this weird property that 0.9999... (recurring) = 1.0000... (recurring), i.e. it has a weird relationship with the number 9 in base 10 (or, in base k, with the number k-1)
The list goes on. Why does 0 not behave like other numbers if it is a number? Why is it so special?
There's a whole book on the number 0 (called 'Zero' I believe), look it up. Heard it's good.
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Astonix
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#13
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#13
(Original post by Swayum)
I don't think this question is as trivial as people are making it out to be. Let's consider some properties of 0:
0 + x = x, no other number has this property
0*x = 0, no other number has this property
x/0 cannot be defined, no other number has this property
0 didn't exist in mathematics for a pretty long time until it was added by people in India, very few numbers are like this.
0 is not even and it's not odd, no other integer has this property
The list goes on. Why does 0 not behave like other numbers if it is a number? Why is it so special?
There's a whole book on the number 0 (called 'Zero' I believe), look it up. Heard it's good.
I don't think this question is as trivial as people are making it out to be. Let's consider some properties of 0:
0 + x = x, no other number has this property
0*x = 0, no other number has this property
x/0 cannot be defined, no other number has this property
0 didn't exist in mathematics for a pretty long time until it was added by people in India, very few numbers are like this.
0 is not even and it's not odd, no other integer has this property
The list goes on. Why does 0 not behave like other numbers if it is a number? Why is it so special?
There's a whole book on the number 0 (called 'Zero' I believe), look it up. Heard it's good.
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Existentialistic
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#14
(Original post by Swayum)
There's a whole book on the number 0 (called 'Zero' I believe), look it up. Heard it's good.
There's a whole book on the number 0 (called 'Zero' I believe), look it up. Heard it's good.
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TenOfThem
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Swayum
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#16
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#16
(Original post by TenOfThem)
0 is even
0 is even
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WhiteSlice14
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#17
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#17
Let me give you my opinion.
When you have a number e.g 1, it means that something exists.. e.g 1 apple, 1 car..
When you get 0 on your Extended Project (or an examination) why do we say, "Ohhh I GOT zero"... Really you don't GOT anything because it implies that the thing you supposedly 'have' doesn't exist.
When you have a number e.g 1, it means that something exists.. e.g 1 apple, 1 car..
When you get 0 on your Extended Project (or an examination) why do we say, "Ohhh I GOT zero"... Really you don't GOT anything because it implies that the thing you supposedly 'have' doesn't exist.
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Ham22
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#18
Dirac Spinor
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#19
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#19
zero is of interest and one could ask many thought provoking questions about it but I don't think 'is it a number?' is one of them.
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Astonix
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#20
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#20
(Original post by Ham22)
IS black a colour?
IS black a colour?
Nice one
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