EL NÚMERO CERO

Abstract

All civilizations before the III c.

before Christ used a system based on

symbols for numbers.

Since then, the greeks and later

the romans, used a system based on

letters.

The developing of numeric nota

tions of India, left an important im

print in the mathematics of future ci

vilizations: the decimal numeric

system based on position, though

this idea of the value based on posi

tion was a chief development of the

babylonian system. 

Indians developped a system ba

sed on numeric position that was not

only written but oral; so they were the

first people in history to elaborate an

spoken numbering system based on

this rule.

This process led to a fundamental

discovery: the concept of “zero”,

which they called “sunya” which me

ant empty.

Initially the arabs were interested

in the greek system and in the old

sexagesimal system of Babilonian pe

ople, adapting them to their writing.

In reference to the indian zero the

arabs called it “céfer” (which means

empty in arab language) and they

started to use it around the year 700.

Later on this world led to the spanish

terms “cero” and “cifra”