657
The invention of zero (thelemmy.club)
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[-] youcantreadthis@quokk.au 27 points 6 days ago

This is why you shouldn't learn math

[-] 0ops@piefed.zip 6 points 6 days ago

It only ends in heartbreak

[-] stenAanden@feddit.dk 15 points 5 days ago

I guess it's the different cultures that invented the number zero?

Except Babylon didn't?

[-] ellen.kimble@piefed.social 3 points 5 days ago
[-] SorryQuick@lemmy.ca 9 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Technically Babylon and Egypt first had what could be described as a concept of zero, while India invented the modern mathematical zero.

[-] ellen.kimble@piefed.social 2 points 5 days ago

They first had a blank space, not mathematical zero

[-] FishFace@piefed.social 9 points 5 days ago

The Babylonians did not have a concept of zero. They had a symbol for a zero in their base 60 numeral system, but didn't use it as a standalone number or concept.

[-] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 8 points 5 days ago

Fun fact: He didn't invent zero. He simply was willing to part with the idea that the number zero was unholy. People back in the day associated zero with hell.

[-] MyVeryRealName@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago

Who's the guy with the long beard?

[-] The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago
[-] slothrop@lemmy.ca 13 points 5 days ago
[-] prospero@lemmy.ml 7 points 5 days ago

Don't worry buddy, atleast one person got the joke

[-] The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

In the bottom right. If they meant the stone guy:

The relief was originally found in the palace of King Sargon II at Dur-Sharrukin (modern-day Khorsabad, Iraq).

I don't think there's a specific Arab scholar credited with coming up with the concept of zero.

[-] MyVeryRealName@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago

Wasn't it Aryabhatta who came up with the concept of zero?

[-] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 6 points 5 days ago
[-] notabot@piefed.social 4 points 6 days ago

They're saying he has more than 9 girlfriends? I mean, yes, inventing the concept of place value, and the necesary zero, is impressive, but I don't think he'll be attracting that many ladies at once!

[-] OpenStars@piefed.social 3 points 5 days ago

Nerdy thoughts about what that concept unlocks for us all:

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this post was submitted on 24 May 2026
657 points (99.0% liked)

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