Zero is a representation of nothing with the current definition calling it an ‘addictive identity’. Mathematically zero is classified as a number which when added to another will yield the same number. Many people have conflicting explanations of who discovered zero and it is important to note that is wasn’t that somebody came up with the idea and it got acceptance from all over the world. An Indian mathematician referred to as Aryabhata is one of the people credited with the discovery and this because around 500 AD he devised a numbers system with the symbol representing zero and an unknown element being the same.
However, this system confused many people and this led to some improvements and by 876 AD the concept of zero had become more understood which is where the its symbol was ascertained. There were also other Indian mathematicians that are involved in the discovery of zero and they include Mahavira, Brahamagupta and Bhaskara. Some of their explanations were however false as compared to others. These mathematicians werenot able to conclude that no number is capable of being divided by zero and this was the reason for the various explanations. The zero concepts played a major role in seeing the growth of higher mathematics which was a major step in the history of mankind.
Zero is also a synonym of the word none. Although there are many stories about who invented zero, studies show that the number was invented by a group of people from the Mayan civilization and it is at that time that the decimal system was being used and just as it is used today only that a space was left to indicate a zero up until the third century BC. The empty space that was used to indicate zero was also very confusing since the space was also used to separate numbers. This confusion led to the introduction of a dot that came in a place of a zero.
The first time the zero symbol was evidently used can be dated back in the seventh century AD. The invention by the Mayans was initially to be used in calendars that were used during the third century AD. This however was not realized in most of the European states civilization up until after eight hundred AD and this was brought about by the Arabs who were coming to trade. The Greeks and Romans were using the abacus to carry out their calculations and they therefore did not need the number zero.
The name zero was derived from the Arabic language however. Another story about the discovery of zero that was invented by Aryabhata who is a mathematician as well as an astronomer around Ninth century C.E. While others still believe that the invention of zero goes back to 300 B.C. in Babylon. All these inventions were independently made and were not connected in any way. Some records are also showing that the ancient Greeks seemed unsure about the status of zero as a number, which led to philosophical and religious arguments about the nature, and existence of zero.