Should Zero Be Considered a Number?

The Origin and Symbolism of Zero

Every number contains at least part of a unit. Zero contains nothing.

At one time, the question arose of how to symbolize an increase in a number. If an arbitrary squiggle or a line were used, it would disrupt the design of the digits. It was decided to devise a symbol whose shape would fit harmoniously among the digits while also conveying its meaning.

Thus the symbol of emptiness appeared: a small oval. It was an ideal solution — to give each digit its own distinct form.

Can Zero Be Called a Digit?

Yes, it can. But even in this case, zero is not a digit representing a number; it is a digit serving as a DESIGNATION.

For example, the number 12345 is written without zeros. The number 10295, however, uses zero to designate the value of ten thousand.

Zero in Decimal and Binary Systems

The Decimal System Within the Sphere of Nine

Zero’s role as a DESIGNATION in the number 10295 proves once again that the decimal system, too, lies within the sphere of Nine, just like the entire world of numbers.

Specifically, the numbers 10, 100, 1000, and so on have a digital root of 1, just as the numbers 20, 200, 2000, and so on have a digital root of 2.

In other words, there is no way to place a number between the value of 9 and the value of 11, or between 19 and 21, and so on. Only a DESIGNATION can be placed there, by adding a zero.

Zero in the Binary System

Take a close look at the binary system. To avoid raising any doubts, I will take a number from Wikipedia instead of choosing one myself.

First, let us write the number in decimal notation: 91. Then let us write the same number in binary notation. This is how it looks:

1011011₂

We will now convert it back into the decimal number 91, step by step.

The second line of the binary example, 1 × 2 + 0, gives the number 2 by multiplying one by two. “Adding” zero does not change the sum, because the binary system uses zero not as a number, but as a DESIGNATION. The same applies to the fifth line.

250 and 257: Zero Adds No Units of Its Own, but Seven Adds Seven

Another example: if zero or seven is appended to the end of a number — for example, 25 — the value represented by the digit 2 increases from 20 to 200 units.

In other words, both digits have served as designations. But in the first case, zero has not added a single unit of its own, while in the second case, seven has added seven units. (Compare: 250 and 257.)