# Zero | | 0 (**Zero**) is a number representing an empty quantity. Adding 0 to any number leaves that number unchanged. In mathematical terminology, 0 is the additive identity of the integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and complex numbers, as well as other algebraic structures. Multiplying any number by 0 has the result 0, and consequently, division by zero has no meaning in arithmetic. | |-|-| | | wikipedia:: [0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0) | > [!summary]- Wikipedia Synopsis > 0 (**Zero**) is a number representing an empty quantity. Adding 0 to any number leaves that number unchanged. In mathematical terminology, 0 is the additive identity of the integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and complex numbers, as well as other algebraic structures. Multiplying any number by 0 has the result 0, and consequently, division by zero has no meaning in arithmetic. > > In decimal notation, 0 plays a crucial role: it indicates that the power of ten corresponding to the place containing a 0 does not contribute to the total. For example, "205" in decimal means two hundreds, no tens, and five ones. The same principle applies in place-value notation that uses a base other than ten, such as binary and hexadecimal. The modern use of 0 in this manner derives from Indian mathematics that was transmitted to Europe via medieval Islamic mathematicians and popularized by Fibonacci. It was independently used by the Maya. > > Common names for the number 0 in English are zero, nought, naught (), nil. In contexts where at least one adjacent digit distinguishes it from the letter O, the number is sometimes pronounced as oh or o (). Informal or slang terms for 0 include zilch and zip. Historically, ought, aught (), and cipher have also been used. Zero, along with [[Positional notation]] was a significant development that sort of unlocked a lot more power in math. Zero, as a concept didn't really exist until after ancient Greece and the Greeks had a sort of philosophical opposition to the concept. [[Number#Terms and words for numbers]]