数0探迷

On the Origin of the Number Zero

通过历史文献的比较研究发现,人们对数0的起源主要有5种不同的观点:源于巴比伦、玛雅、印度、阿拉伯、中国之说.进一步考查数0在不同文化中的名称、符号及含义的演变过程发现,在古巴比伦时期就有了零的萌芽,在玛雅时期已出现了零的象形符号与含义,在古印度时期已出现了圆圈符号“0”表示的零,公元8世纪印度数码又传入了阿拉伯,在古代中国也较早地出现了用“口”、“○”等其它文字表示的零.这一探索揭示了数0的起源及其在数学发展过程中的意义,同时,为数学教育以及数0的准确应用提供了科学的参考.

By comparing the historical documents, the article discovers there are mainly five standpoints on the origin of the number zero, the origins of Babylon, Maya, India, Arab and China. The author further reviews the name, symbol and meanings of the number zero in different cultures. There was the germination of the number zero in the time of Babylon. There was the hieroglyphic symbol and meaning of zero in Maya time. There was the symbol of 0 in ancient India . The figure in India was introduced into Arab in the eighteenth century . In ancient China, people used the symbols of ＂口＂,＂○＂ to indicate the number of zero. The study has discovered the origin of the number 0 and its meaning in thedevelopment of mathematics. At the same time, the article makes a reference to the education of mathematics and the exact application of the number 0.