If 0 means nothing, why is it important?

Question

If the numeral "0" means nothing, why is it such an important number?

Answer 1

its states that there's nothing!

if you ask someone how many pencils they have,

and they have 0,

they're not going to say

"i have less than 1 pencil"

they're going to say

i have NONE/0

Answer 2

it just is

Answer 3

how would we express the value of nothing?

Answer 4

it is a place holder. they teach that in like 5th grade.

Answer 5

It is a numerical representation so it is important.

It is there so that we can understand the concept of "nothing"

Answer 6

That's like asking, if "nothing" means empty space, then why is it a word?

Answer 7

For the same exact reason that there are no bones in ice cream and that oranges are orange.

Because it says so in the bible.

Answer 8

becouse without it we couldnt have anything above nine if you dont count 0 as the first # in our numeral system

Answer 9

Just as "1" is the multiplicative identity (ie a X 1 = a) zero is the additive identity (a + 0 = a).  This concept makes a lot of other mathematical theorems work.

Answer 10

its important because 0 is a neutral number.  

Answer 11

Because without it you cannot mathematically represent the "lack" of something. I.e. anything above 0 is something, anything below is less than something, "something" being X value.

For example in a standard calculator, you CANNOT enter the value 1/4 (or any other fraction for that matter) for that you would need a scientific calculator. In a standard calculator in order to "represent" 1/4 you need to enter 0.25, 1/2 is 0.5 and so forth.

The Romans dis not know a numeral with an equivalent of 0, 10 is X, 100 is C and 1,000 is M. Even the Greeks weren't too sure of the 0 as a number. it wasn't until the 5th century when the Indian mathematician Aryabhatta discovered the 0.

The 0 is so important that even the machine you used to ask the question depends on it. Computers (or microchips) work on a basis of the transmission of current (electricity) or lack of current. Current is interpreted by the machine as 1 and lack of current as 0, this is why 0s and 1s are the basis of the binary system.

You, as a user never get to see this, but the action of pressing the key on your keyboard that represents a period or dot sets of a series of actions that happen at the speed light (186,000 miles per second) that eventually, before you can even rationalize it puts an actual period or dot on your screen.

Without the 0 all this would be impossible.

Answer 12

Because if you add it to the end of a number, such as 6, it makes it a much bigger quantity than just 6.

Which would you rather have? $6? Or $60?

Answer 13

because it is the place holder between positive numbers and negative numbers...zero is "very cold"....but, ten below zero is even colder...no?...and, I would rather have(30) dollars in my checking account than for it be overdrawn  (-30).  Without the zero...none of that would be possible, correct?

Answer 14

It is a "place holder"....

Answer 15

In physics, an object does not accelerate when it is at equilibrium, At equilibrium all opposing forces cancel each other out. that means that the net force on the object is nothing. how do we represent that mathematically? 0

Answer 16

You have to have nothing to have something. Everything has to be compared to something, for example happiness and sadness. Without sadness, we wouldn't know about happiness. Even if we were always happy, it would just be.... normal. we NEED 'nothing'.

Answer 17

Well, would you rather have 1 dollar or 1000000000 dollars?

Answer 18

Because a nothing is good...If you think about it. If there wasn't a "nothing" then the only thing there'd be is everything else. And if EVERYTHING was everything else. Everything would be nothing. So it's good to have something to compare to, to make you what you have is ZERO or nothing.

Heh Heh, that was confuzzling, even for me.

Answer 19

Placeholder and used to define many things...

Answer 20

Maybe emptiness is such an important condition we need to codify and communicate.

Answer 21

wow i do not know lol

Answer 22

well, it is important in currency. I mean if you want to say you have 2 dollars and ZERO cents, you can write it as $2.00.