The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero
Allen Lane: 1999. 246 pp. £12.99
This popular book deals with a fascinating aspect of mathematics: the occurrence of zero within the arithmetics of integers and real numbers, and its many representations as numerals. Robert Kaplan is at his best on the latter: a wide range of examples is given, both of numerals and also of possible origins for the signs ‘0’ and ‘o’. On this last point he gives more credit to the Greeks than do other authors, but as the history is so obscure no definitive position can be maintained. Kaplan is careful to stress that Indian mathematicians were the first to recognize that zero could act as a pukka number, and not only as a space filler to distinguish, say, 34 from 304 and 3,004, a practice that is at least Babylonian.
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