Concept in Definition ABC

The term of zero designate the one cardinal number that represents a null quantity, that is, zero is the numerical sign that has a null value precisely.

The sign with which it is represented in the Western world is the 0, although, it is important to point out that from the twentieth century, with the advent of computing and to avoid confusion with the symbol of the lyrics or, it is also possible that we find the same symbol 0 but crossed by a bar in Format diagonal /.

Beyond this null value that you have to represent, with it, you can perform various algebraic operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, among others, meanwhile, and precisely because it expresses a null value, it may give way to indeterminate expressions in some cases.

Thus, when zero appears in the sum it will be an element neutral, that is, added to any number, for example 39: 39 + 0, the result will be 39.
Meanwhile, in multiplication, any number that is multiplied by zero will result in zero. 40 * 0 = 0.

It is worth noting that zero integrates as an element the ordered set of the integer numbers, placing itself before the number 1 and after the -1; and also some mathematicians hold and consider it part of the natural numbers.

Through various documents of a mathematical and astronomical nature that support it, it is known that zero was present in the culture of civilizations such as the Babylonian, the Egyptian and the Greek, among others, even specific symbols were used to express it, such is the case of the Ancient Egypt which used the sign nfr to indicate it when necessary.
However, it would only be in the century III BC, in Babylon, that zero, as we know it, would make its stellar appearance.

And as regards the continent American, it would be the civilizationpre-Columbian Maya the first to use zero in those parts of the planet.
Meanwhile, the Romans would not use zero like so many cultures but instead of numbers they used letters of the alphabet.
It is worth mentioning that there are also many researchers who attribute the invention of zero to the Hindus.