The Origin of Zero

Nada, naught, nil, zip, zilch, zero. Whatever you call it, it's hard to imagine the world without it. Zero is the basis for all modern computing and engineering, including trigonometry, algebra, and binary code. So, pretty important. But despite how integral it is to our lives now, there was once a time when zero never existed. Today we are joined by statistician and author Timandra Harkness, who is going to take us back in time to the invention of zero as a mathematical concept. Tune in to find out how it was discovered, the impact it had, and if we could possibly imagine a world without it today.

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This episode was produced by Emily Whalley

The senior producer is Charlotte Long

Edited and mixed by Seyi Adaobi