Zero.

Zero was discovered by an Indian mathematician some time around the 9th century AD. It seems odd that it took so long for someone to realize we could use 0 in mathematics. But even today people still struggle with the concept of 0. We haven’t fully integrated it into how we contemplate 0. We have words for things where 0 is there.

Bald – a person with 0 hairs on their head

Virginity – A person who has had sex 0 times

We also have words for people who do things greater than 0 times:

Murderer – A person who has murdered more than 0 people

Car owner – A person who owns more than 0 cars

We shouldn’t use language like this. It gives people a poor understanding of nature and how zero plays a role in it.

2 thoughts on “Zero.

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